Reincarnated into the World of Naruto PT2
by onetim3
Summary: The 4th GNW is over, but the hidden danger and threat of the Otsutsuki clan remains. Izaya has done his best to search for clues and answers, but it just seems that the more he discovers the more questions he has. More Divine Trees? Who are the Jashinists? Where is the Heavenly Plane? But the journey is not his alone as a new generation of young promising shinobi enter the world!
1. A New Generation!

**AN: Hey everyone and welcome to RITWON PT. 2! Awesome! While it may not have been the greatest story I do hope you all enjoyed reading RITWON PT.1 as much as I had writing it! **

**And if you haven't read RITWON PT.1 yet then copy here for the link and paste it in the search bar:** s/13397148/1/Reincarnated-into-the-world-of-Naruto

**Or search "Reincarnated into the world of Naruto" **

**First, a couple of things about reading the story: **

**_-Italics_ is how I will show that someone is thinking to themselves. Their thoughts. Hopefully it will be pretty obvious whose thoughts you're reading. **

**-If you see this: 888 it means that there will be a scene change just like it was in RITWON PT. 1**

**-And lastly, the time moves pretty fast in chapter 1 as it's getting to introduce bits and pieces of all the new characters so please bear with it.**

**As always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Boruto or anything originating from the original story and plot of these universes. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyo Kodachi, Mikio Ikemoto, and their team. I only own my original plot and characters. **

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Chapter 1

Swish Swish Swish!

At this moment three young shinobi fell from the sky and expertly landed on a train currently running on the outskirts of Konohagakure. One shinobi had bright and spiky yellow hair and light blue eyes. He had a black jacket and black athletic pants on and whisker like birthmark patterns on his cheeks. He was exactly Uzumaki Boruto. The one and only son of the current 7th Hokage Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata.

The second shinobi had a green jacket and blue pants on with semi-long black hair tied up above his head. The son of Nara Shikamaru and Temari, Nara Shikadai.

As for the last shinobi he had short messy brown hair and purple eyes. He wore a white t-shirt with an auburn colored jacket and black pants as well as a necklace that had a small ornament of a Flying Thunder God kunai on it. His name was Karasuma Hiroshi. The son of the 6th Hokage Karasuma Izaya and Hyuga clan head Hyuga Hanabi.

The three of them sat down on the train as it continued traveling around the outskirts of the village. They had rushed out early in the morning to get one of the new limited edition green chili hamburgers. Boruto looked down at his lunch and shouted excitedly, "Alright! Made it just in time! The new limited edition green chili hamburger!"

Shikadai just let out a sigh as he remarked, "Why did I have to come also?"

Hiroshi plopped down next to them and commented, "Is it even going to taste good?"

Boruto smiled at his cousin's comment and replied, "Heh! Burgers are the best! It's a limited edition so it's gotta be good!"

Despite all the hype they still stared a bit doubtful at the burgers in their hands before all three of them took a bite. Not a second had passed before all three of them coughed aloud and quickly took a sip of the drink in their hands.

"Spicy!" Boruto remarked.

"You can say that again!" Hiroshi agreed.

The three of them sat in comfortable silence as they relished the feel of the wind on their skin as the train took them around the village. The large stone faces of all seven Hokage's could be seen in the distance. As Boruto took in the sight before him he remarked, "This train sure is convenient. It's nice not having to walk and run everywhere."

Shikadai quickly chimed in, "Well, Konoha is getting more and more modern. Don't forget that we have to attend the academy tomorrow."

Boruto widened his eyes in surprise as he forgot. "Oh? You're right! It is tomorrow huh?"

Hiroshi nodded. "Right. Did you guys choose to continue your shinobi training? Or did you guys choose to do something else?"

Boruto just let out a sigh. "Haaa…"

He stared at the Hokage stone faces. Particularly at the 6th and the 7th.

"Hey. Hiroshi. Your dad was the 6th Hokage. How often do you see uncle Izaya anyways?"

Hiroshi gave a thoughtful look before replying, "Mnnnnnn...Well, dad is away on missions a lot. Mom says that dad abdicated his position as the 6th Hokage for uncle Naruto because there were things that only dad could do which required his attention outside of the village. Honestly I don't really understand, but dad tries to come back home as often as he can. Sometimes he comes back every month for a few days. Other times he stays for a few weeks. It's rare but there are times when he's home for a few months at a time."

Boruto frowned. "Aren't you frustrated or mad that he's gone so much? What about your mom? Doesn't she feel lonely or sad? Or what about your sister Iraia? What does she think?"

Hiroshi just tilted his head to the side as he gave it some serious thought. "Hmmm...I mean it would be nice to have dad around more. Mom always looks happiest when dad comes home. And dad always looks happiest when he's with mom. Every time dad comes home he always tells us how much he loves her. And every time he leaves I can tell how sad he is. I can't say that I'm really frustrated or mad that dad is gone so much. Every time he comes home he smothers Iraia and I, telling us how much he loves us. It gets a little embarrassing at times. So what I'm trying to say is that I guess I'm okay with our family's current dynamic. After all, even though dad is gone a lot he taught me all of the skills I know. As for what Iraia thinks, I can't really speak for her."

Boruto let everything Hiroshi said sink in before Shikadai interjected, "So? Boruto did you choose to continue your shinobi training?"

Boruto shrugged and replied, "What do you mean? Are we supposed to choose or something?"

Shikadai and Hiroshi simply stared at each other in disbelief from what they just heard Boruto say. Boruto took note of their strange expression so he asked, "What? Did I say something weird?"

Shikadai face-palmed as he replied, "Boruto, don't tell me that after all this time you don't even know how the academy system works?"

Boruto laughed awkwardly and awkwardly scratched the side of his cheeks. "Haha...Well, you know I've always been more of a go with the flow kind of guy."

Shikadai just let out a loud sigh before saying, "Boruto. Listen. I'm only going to explain once okay. We've been attending the academy since we were 5 years old. I'm really surprised you don't know how the system works. Enrollment into the academy begins at 5. For the first 3 years all students learn the basic subjects such as Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and History. During the 3rd year attending the academy, that is when we're introduced to the ways of shinobi. Everyone learns about the ways of shinobi and learn basic self defense and basic knowledge essential for Ninja's for the next 2 years. We just completed that course. So tomorrow is when we can choose to either continue our studies as a Ninja or to drop the subject completely. For those who drop the subject they can choose to focus on another area they want like Business, Politics, Medicine, General Studies, etc. For those who choose to continue their studies as a Ninja they will have to keep up with their General Studies as well as their Ninja Studies. They will focus on learning Taijutsu, Bukijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu for the next 2 years. During the final year they must take several milestone exams. The first is a written exam covering the basics of their General Studies. The second is the tree climbing and water walking exercise. This tests a shinobi's ability to mold, infuse, and control chakra. The third is the ability to create a basic Clone and use the Transformation Jutsu. And these tests can be taken as many times as needed throughout the final year. If you pass these three milestone tests during the final year then you can take the Final Graduation Exam. This system was developed and created by the 6th Hokage after the 4th Great Ninja War. Isn't the 6th Hokage your uncle Boruto? I thought you'd at least know how the academy worked."

Boruto widened his eyes in surprise as he remarked, "EHH? Uncle Izaya was the one who created the current educational system in Konoha?" He then turned to Hiroshi for confirmation as Hiroshi nodded his head and replied with a bit of pride, "Yup. Dad's awesome!"

Boruto gave a doubtful look. "Really? Well...I've only gotten to meet uncle Izaya a few times before but they were really brief and I was pretty young back then. Is uncle Izaya really that awesome?"

Shikadai turned to Boruto and said, "Honestly you don't read much history books do you?"

"Eh? Why? Should I?"

"If you did you would know at least a bit more about Lord 6th Hokage. Even your own dad for that matter."

"Ehhh? That seems bothersome."

Shikadai let out a sigh. "You know Boruto. Your dad and Lord 6th are considered war heroes from the 4th Great Ninja War."

Boruto nodded with disinterest. "Yeah yeah I know. So many people in the village talk about it that it gets old hearing about it you know."

"Well it's true. I hear that Lord 7th is known as The Hero of the Hidden Leaf. In the history books Lord 7th has several titles that were granted to him such as The Child of Prophecy, Saviour of the World, The Demon Fox Shinobi, The Orange Hokage, and the 2nd Eienkage."

Boruto tilted his head a bit confused. "2nd Eienkage? What is that? Isn't dad the Hokage already?"

Hiroshi interjected at that moment. "Oh! Dad also has the title of Eienkage except he's called the 1st Eienkage. Supposedly it was a title that was granted to only five shinobi in the entire world and it means the eternal shadow. It was a title given by the 5 Daimyo's for their outstanding military service during the 4th Great Ninja War. The title of the 1st Eienkage was given to dad. The 2nd Eienkage to Lord 7th, the 3rd to uncle Sasuke, the 4th to uncle Haku, and the 5th to uncle Kimimaro."

Boruto raised his eyebrow seemingly interested. "Ehhhh? Really?"

Shikadai coughed bringing Boruto and Hiroshi's attention back to focus. "Oi, Boruto, you still haven't answered the question. So, are you going to continue your shinobi training?"

Boruto laid down on the train and simply replied, "Yeah. I guess so. None of the other things really interest me."

Shikadai looked a bit doubtful."Boruto. Don't go doing stuff to embarrass your dad since it'll probably reflect on me too."

"What?!"

"Oi, your mom is always telling me to watch out for you."

"Eh? Mom does?"

Hiroshi lightly chuckled and placed an arm around Boruto's shoulder. "Heh, my cousin does get in trouble often."

Boruto grumbled, "Oi, Hiroshi. Who's side are you on? You're supposed to be my cousin."

After a few more minutes of playful banter the three of them went their separate ways. As Hiroshi dashed off towards the Hyuga residence he stopped midway and stared towards the great stone Hokage faces. Particularly the one at Izaya's stone face.

_Dad...I wonder where you are right now. _

After thinking to himself for a moment he quickly continued on his way. Just as he opened the door to the Hyuga compound he was greeted by the sight of his sister Iraia in the middle of her Taijutsu training. She had soft snow white hair just like Izaya and her personality was similar to Izaya's as well, whereas he was the opposite. His hair was brown like Hanabi's and his personality was similar to hers also, however, they both had one similar feature and that was their purple eyes. Although neither Hanabi nor Izaya had purple eyes their eye color was the product of a unique and natural mutation in their genes. He and his sister were born as fraternal twins, although he was older by a few seconds.

Hiroshi smirked as he sneaked around the corner of the compound to hide in the shadows. Just as Iraia turned her back towards him to perform a spinning kick he dashed out and attempted to tackle her to the ground, however, the moment he successfully grabbed her by the waist he was met with a puff of smoke as he held nothing but a piece of log in his arms. Too late into the dive he plopped on the ground with the piece of log and groaned. "Ugh...How long have you known I was there Iraia?"

Iraia had a look of indifference on her face as she leaned against the fence in the courtyard and replied, "Ever since you got back."

Hiroshi just stuck out his tongue in a playful manner at his sister. "Next time." He then walked off inside.

As Iraia watched Hiroshi's retreating form the indifferent expression on her face changed to that of a light smile as she whispered to herself, "You haven't changed at all. Big brother."

The next day all the students who had chosen to continue their shinobi training gathered outside the academy as Lord 7th stood at the very front in preparation to address the new young prospective shinobi, however, the speech was delayed as two individuals were missing. They were a boy named Denki, the young heir to the Kaminaron corporation and of course Boruto. Hiroshi and Shikadai stood next to each other as they gave each other a knowing glance.

Shikadai whispered, "Seriously that Boruto. Didn't I tell him not to do anything to trouble his dad? Even I made it on time."

Hiroshi just sighed. "It can't be helped. We're talking about Boruto here you know."

Shikadai simply nodded his head in agreement before taking a quick peek at Iraia who was standing by Sarada and Chocho. Her hair was snow white and seemed silky soft. It flowed beautifully down her back reaching just above her waist. She wore a white battle dress that just covered her shoulders down to just above her knees and on her arm she had black arm sleeves that partially covered her hands up to her elbows. The dress had an open part on the right side of her lower waist slightly exposing the white shorts she wore underneath. A long black ribbon was tied around her waist area and she wore long white stockings that reached the middle of her thighs with snowflake patterned designs on them. A necklace with a small Flying Thunder God ornament on it was worn around her neck.

Shikadai couldn't help but be memorized at the natural charm and beauty Iraia emitted. There was something about her that just seemed pure, yet dangerous. She gave off an air of mystery just like her father the 6th Hokage did in the past. And that feeling of being mysterious is what drew him and many others into wanting to know more about her. Hiroshi noticed Shikadai's distracted look so he turned to see what Shikadai was staring at, however, he only took note of Chocho, Sarada, and his sister and got confused. "Shikadai, what're you staring at?"

Shikadai flinched and his cheeks turned a hint of pink as he realized Hiroshi caught him red handed. He lightly coughed and responded, "Ahem. Nothing."

Hiroshi gave a doubtful look but simply shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't long after that a single train cart burst through the air and crashed into the stone face of the 7th Hokage on the cliffside revealing Boruto and Denki as Boruto loudly declared his presence. Everyone on the ground stared dumbfoundedly at Boruto's extravagant entrance. Especially Naruto. Due to that incident everyone was dismissed early. As Iraia took her leave another girl quickly jogged over to her and greeted, "Iraia. It's been awhile. You doing alright?"

Iraia observed the girl in front of her. She was a beauty with pretty red hair that fell 3 inches below her shoulders with dark brown eyes. She wore a light blue shirt, blue fingertip-less gloves, and black shorts with black stockings. This was Yuki Asuka. The daughter of Yuki Haku and Uzumaki Akane.

Iraia nodded in acknowledgement of Asuka's presence and replied, "Hey Asuka. I'm fine. You?"

Asuka grumbled in annoyance. "Can you believe Boruto? If he was going to make an entrance like that where we had to cancel the opening ceremony he should have let us know. I could have slept in then!"

Iraia's lips curled in a light smile before she resumed her indifferent expression. It was at this moment that Hiroshi jogged up to them and greeted, "Asuka! You're here!" Asuka glanced at Hiroshi matter-of-factly and replied, "Of course I'm here. My dad would be passive aggressively nagging me all day about it otherwise." Hiroshi smiled at her answer.

Iraia sighed inwardly to herself as she watched her happy-go-lucky brother converse with Asuka. They had known Asuka ever since they were little since their fathers were sworn brothers. And ever since she could remember, her big brother Hiroshi had always had a soft spot for Asuka. She lightly coughed and made up a convincing lie to excuse herself from them giving Asuka and Hiroshi some more time alone together. She wandered about the village before finding herself in front of the large cliffside where the stone faces of all the Hokage's were. She looked up at the 6th Hokage's stone face. The face of a handsome young man with a blindfold covering the eyes was carved on the cliff. Her father's face.

_Papa. Where are you? I miss you. Mom misses you too! It's already been two months since you last came home. Are you alright? Are you safe?_

As she stood there lost in her thoughts she failed to notice the footsteps of someone approaching behind her until right at the last moment. She flinched and was just about to dash backwards to distance herself when she heard the familiar voice of the 7th Hokage.

"Woah! It's just me. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Iraia quickly reigned in her emotions and saluted Naruto as she said, "Greetings Lord 7th."

Naruto just scratched the side of his cheeks awkwardly before saying, "Iraia. It's been a long time since I last saw you. Hiroshi too. You've gotten taller since then."

Iraia simply nodded her head. "Mn."

Naruto was at a bit of a loss for words at how short Iraia kept her responses. He racked his brains for how to keep the conversation going when he took a glance up at the Hokage stone faces and instantly knew why Iraia was here. "Hmmm...Thinking about your dad huh?"

Iraia flinched at Naruto's comment but nodded. "Mn. Lord 7th?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know where papa is?"

Naruto felt completely stumped since he actually didn't know where Izaya was but didn't want to tell Iraia that for fear that it might cause her to needlessly worry, so he rubbed the back of his head and amiably replied, "Your dad is on an S-rank mission. Um...Well you see, S-rank missions are kind of classified so I can't really go into the details, but just know that where your dad is right now he can definitely handle it. I know it's been awhile since you last saw him but I've known your dad for a long time. He'll turn up when you least expect it."

Iraia simply nodded at Lord 7th's explanation and whispered, "Okay."

Two weeks came and went as all students went to their respective classrooms. The two weeks also marked the end of Boruto's suspension so today was technically his first day of attending the shinobi geared class courses. Everyone gossiped amongst themselves as Boruto entered the room. Boruto ignored them and took a seat right next to Shikadai and Hiroshi. Before long Shino entered the room as he was their class instructor. As Shino gave some introductions and instructions everyone followed him outside for their daily Taijutsu exercises. While everyone was practicing their Taijutsu, Shino had Boruto complete the obstacle course in the courtyard meant for evaluating his current proficiency standing as a shinobi. As Boruto breezed through the course and reached the end Denki walked over to congratulate him.

"Nice Boruto! You tied for the second spot time-wise in completing the course."

Boruto raised his eyebrow with a bit of surprise and remarked, "Eh? I wasn't first? Who is then? And wait, what do you mean tied for second place?"

Denki opened his laptop and pulled up a chart. "Hm...Well it doesn't look like the first place holder is here right now. Apparently he thinks it's a waste of time hanging out with a bunch of amateurs. As for the person you tied with, it's-" Before Denki could finish Hiroshi dashed over and wrapped an arm around Boruto's shoulders replying, "It's me!"

Boruto widened his eyes in shock. "EHHH? Hiroshi? So it was you?"

"Hehe! Surprised?"

Boruto simply grumbled as he shook out of Hiroshi's grip. "Honestly I didn't know you were actually that skilled as a shinobi."

Hiroshi simply grinned. "Hey, we may have grown up together but we never actually sparred. We just played around."

At that moment Shikadai walked over and commented, "Yeah. That's what you guys call it but in truth you both just played a bunch of pranks on people."

Boruto awkwardly coughed and replied, "Hey, people just need to learn to lighten up a little. That's all."

Shino watched this banter go on as a doubtful and worried expression filled his face. _How did the son of both the 6th Hokage and 7th Hokage end up to be such troublemakers?_

It wasn't long before lunch time rolled around the corner. As Shikadai, Denki, Boruto, and Hiroshi waltzed back into the classroom to discuss what to eat they heard a loud and rude voice. "Go find some other place to be noisy. I'm using this place right now. You're bothering me."

The four of them turned to see a student get up from a desk in the back as that student glared at them in annoyance. Boruto tilted his head unamused. "Who's he?"

Denki quickly replied, "That's Iwabe."

Shikadai chimed in as well, "He's the repeater Iwabe. Rumors say he failed the graduation exams twice."

Boruto simply smiled amiably. "Oh? So you're our senior. Nice to meet you!"

Iwabe frowned and snarled, "Don't get all friendly with me! You damned Hokage's son!"

Not only did Boruto frown but Hiroshi also clenched his fist in disapproval. Boruto replied with a dark undertone, "It doesn't matter who's son I am."

Iwabe immediately jumped down and gripped Boruto by the collar. "Well I don't like the idea of having a guy like you around all the time."

Hiroshi stepped forward and slapped Iwabe's hand away as he retorted, "Keep your hands to yourself. We didn't do anything to you yet you're picking a fight where there doesn't need to be one."

At that point many of the other students began trickling back into the room to witness what was going on. Iwabe smirked mockingly. "Oh? So the son of the 6th Hokage and the son of the 7th Hokage are teaming up huh? How disappointing."

Hiroshi gritted his teeth holding back his frustration. "Hokage this Hokage that. Does it matter who our parents are? It just sounds like you're making up excuses to pick a fight."

Iwabe frowned. "You both are eyesores. Two brats riding on their father's coattails!"

Boruto snarled and dashed at Iwabe as he shouted, "Bastard! Take that back!" However, Iwabe parried Boruto's attack and gripped him by the shirt tossing him against the chalkboard in the room as he provoked, "What's the matter? You aren't even worth my time. If you've got a problem with me then come at me."

Hiroshi frowned and just as he was about to step in Boruto said, "Wait. Hiroshi. I'll handle it."

Iwabe smirked and slammed his ninja staff on the ground. "Listen up! Strength is everything for a ninja! What's the use of studying like all of you? Even the present Hokage was the strongest in all of history! As long as you're strong you can get away with anything!"

Hiroshi frowned at Iwabe's speech. "You're wrong! My father told me that those who have strength have a responsibility to ensure it is used in the right way! It is because powerful shinobi in the past abused their strength which caused the 4th Great Ninja War! Father and many others fought to end that war and held accountable those who began it! This was only possible because they studied and understood the history of the shinobi world!"

Iwabe scowled. "Hmpf! You're the son of the 6th Hokage. You've been in the limelight all your life. Of course you would spout ideological nonsense so easily. The 6th and the 7th used power to end the war."

Denki frowned and retorted, "But the 7th Hokage has even stated that he wishes to use Ninjutsu in more peaceful ways!"

Iwabe snarled and gripped Denki by the shirt. "Weaklings like you are a nuisance." At that moment Boruto intervened and freed Denki from Iwabe's grasp.

"So your definition of strength is bullying people into doing what you want? Hmpf! I had decided that I wouldn't fight here and cause much trouble, but I'll take you on. What do you say?"

Iwabe simply smirked.

Soon after the entire class had relocated underneath the school compound where the training arena was located. Everyone stood or remained seated in the stands as Iwabe and Boruto stood in the arena. At this moment Hiroshi and Iraia stood by Shikadai, Denki, Sarada, Chocho, and the class representative Sumire. Boruto and Iwabe began their fight as everyone simply watched.

"How annoying." Sarada commented on the side.

Iraia simply nodded her head in agreement before turning to Hiroshi and whispered, "Good job."

Hiroshi smirked. "Good job? I'm assuming you're referring to the fact that I didn't let my emotions overcome me and pulverize that guy to death when he spoke about dad like that."

Iraia simply didn't comment as she watched the fight. _Mn. Boruto's Taijutsu skills are pretty impressive. He's keeping up with that senior student Iwabe, but he lacks Iwabe's overall physical strength. Boruto has an edge in speed and agility though. Not bad. His skills are close to that of Hiroshi's. Maybe even on par. Taijutsu-wise at least. Hm? He can even do the Shadow Clone Jutsu huh? _

Denki turned to Hiroshi and whispered, "Hey, do you think Boruto is going to be okay?"

Hiroshi pondered for a moment as he tracked the fight before responding, "Mn. There's no need to worry. He lacks Iwabe's physical brawn but he makes up for it with his agility and creativity. To be honest Boruto and I are probably even in our Taijutsu skills. We haven't actually fought before but I can tell by the way he moves."

Denki tilted his head as he caught a glimpse of Iraia and whispered, "You and your sister are twins right? Is she just as skilled as you in Taijutsu?"

Before Hiroshi could answer everyone heard Iwabe scream out in frustration and anger as he dashed away from a worn out Boruto and over to his weapon picking it up. Iraia frowned in disapproval as she glanced over at Hiroshi who nodded at his sister in silent understanding. Iwabe gripped his weapon and slammed it on the ground causing a giant wave of rock, earth, and debris to come crashing towards Boruto.

Hiroshi narrowed his eyes in disapproval.

_Hmpf. This guy said he wouldn't use his weapon but ended up going back on his word. Since you cheated don't blame me for intervening. Boruto is my cousin! _

Hiroshi quickly formed the hand signs of Rat, Dog, and Tiger and said, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" Just before the giant mass of earth could smash into Boruto a wooden dome appeared in front of him effectively blocking Iwabe's attack. Everyone widened their eyes in complete shock. Sarada fixed the glasses on her head to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.

"W-Wood Style? The same as the 6th Hokage?" Shikadai glanced at Hiroshi with incredulity but no words came out. Boruto also looked at the wood dome in front of him in a daze before turning towards Hiroshi with a complicated expression. Hiroshi frowned and said, "Iwabe. You promised not to use your weapon so don't say I'm being meddlesome or unfair. Boruto nor I are riding on our father's coattails. I hope you can see that now."

Iwabe flinched and stared dejectedly at his hand that held his weapon as he apologized. It wasn't long after as Shino rushed into the arena hall in shock and began to strictly lecture everyone. After that incident the days passed by quite peacefully aside from a few minor strange incidents happening in the village. Iwabe began coming to class regularly and started to interact more with others in a more friendly manner. He even attempted to study diligently.

A week came and went as Iraia and Asuka were walking towards the Hyuga residence. They had just gone out to a food stall and bought some meat skewers. Meat skewers were the favorite food of Asuka's dad Haku and overtime Asuka took a liking to them as well. She had asked Iraia to accompany her to which Iraia agreed. As they were walking in comfortable silence they took note of Boruto, Shikadai, and Inojin hiding behind a bush as a distraught and angry looking Metal seemed to be searching for them. Asuka tilted her head in curiosity and walked over to them as she said, "Yo! What're you guys doing? Playing hide-and-seek?"

At Asuka's loud words the three hiding in the bush immediately had a deadpanned and panicked expression on their faces. Metal turned to look at them and smiled sinisterly. "So there you are."

Asuka only remained confused and asked, "Metal? You okay? You seem a bit...out of it."

Boruto widened his eyes in alarm and quickly said, "Asuka, Iraia, run! There's this weird aura around Metal and it's making him crazy! He's attacking anyone and everyone! It's just like the other weird incidents that happened this week!" At Boruto's words both Iraia and Asuka flinched in surprise as Metal quickly dashed over and attacked, however, just as Metal threw a palm strike at Asuka she expertly sidestepped and countered gripping Metal's wrist and swinging him in a circle before tossing him through the air.

Metal quickly spun his body in several somersaults to stabilize his body before landing perfectly back on the ground. Asuka narrowed her eyes in surprise and a bit of excitement. "Oh? Not bad. Very interesting. Metal is the son of the famous Taijutsu expert Rock Lee. Then let me see just how good you are!"

Without further notice she and Metal began to engage in a fierce whirlwind of hand-to-hand combat all the while Boruto, Shikadai, Inojin, and Iraia stood on the side watching. Iraia watched with indifference, however, the three boys simply had their jaws drop in shock. Inojin awkwardly smiled and commented, "I didn't know Asuka was skilled in Taijutsu."

Shikadai nodded in agreement. "It's not only that. Metal is extremely agile and speed is one of his strongest attributes. Not to mention he's extremely strong, but Asuka is matching him blow for blow! How?"

The three of them turned to Iraia for an answer as she simply shrugged. "Asuka isn't as physically strong as Metal. But there's no one faster than her. She has a unique Kekkei Genkai. Metal won't be able to keep up. It's Asuka's win."

The three boys only became more shocked as they gave the same dumbfounded expression. "EHHHH?"

Boruto quickly asked, "Asuka has a Kekkei Genkai? First Hiroshi and now Asuka? Isn't that like, supposed to be super incredibly rare? What kind of Kekkei Genkai is it that lets her move so fast?"

Iraia stared at Asuka's fight with Metal without answering for a few moments before saying, "It's called Swift Style. I heard from papa a long time ago that it's an extremely unique and rare combination of Wind nature and Yang nature. The Wind gives rise to incredibly swift speed and the Yang allows it to manifest as an enhancement to the body's physique."

The three boys could only stare on in even more astonishment as they returned their attention back to the fight.

Boom! Bang! Smack!

At this point both Asuka and Metal had exchanged more than hundreds of punches as their fists moved as fast as the wind, however, Asuka was slowly becoming faster and faster and faster to the point that Metal's attack and eyes could no longer keep up. Just as Metal struck out with his fist Asuka disappeared from his sight and appeared right behind him striking his back with a sharp elbow blow.

Bang!

Metal was instantly flung into a tree. Before he could recover Asuka appeared by his side and kicked him right in the head knocking him out. At that point Boruto's vision obscured slightly as he saw the dark aura detach itself from Metal and vanish into thin air. He tilted his head in confusion but thought nothing of it as his vision returned to normal.

Asuka took a deep breath in before taking a deep breath out and commented, "Mn. That was a good fight. Metal definitely lives up to being the son of one of Konoha's greatest Taijutsu users. If I lost focus for just a moment I could have been the one who lost." She quickly returned to Iraia's side and said, "See you guys. Come on Iraia. Let's go."

Iraia simply nodded and walked off along with Asuka leaving Boruto, Shikadai, and Inojin completely dumbfounded.

The next day at the academy there was a loud shout as Sarada and Boruto fought over the last piece of the yakisoba bread in the cafeteria. The guys stood behind Boruto while the girls stood behind Sarada. Iraia simply watched in quiet amusement as she ate her own yakisoba bread. Just as they were about to fight Shino quickly appeared and mediated, however, things didn't quite go as everyone expected as Shino quickly said, "After class I'll prepare a battleground for you all."

Iraia slightly flinched in surprise after hearing what Shino-sensei said and gently placed her yakisoba bread back down. And just like that, after class the boys and the girls were split on either side in front of the academy gates. Iraia just sighed to herself. _How did I end up getting dragged into this mess? _

Hiroshi stood on the opposite side of the girls by Boruto and the others with a fiery expression in his eyes. _Hehehe! This oughta be fun!_

Shino stood between the boys and the girls as he said, "There's one rule. You will start here at the entrance. The first to grab the flag atop the roof of the academy building wins. Losers will listen to the winners. Understood?"

"Yes!" Everyone responded.

The moment Shino gave the signal to start everyone dashed towards the academy building. Before any of the girls could make it through the gate Iwabe shouted, "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" A giant wall made of earth rushed out from the ground and obstructed all of the girls from moving forwards as the boys all rushed through.

Chocho smirked and activated her Partial Expansion Jutsu greatly increasing the size of her arm and smashed right through the earthen wall knocking Iwabe into the ground. As the girls gave chase close behind, Shikadai quickly turned and activated his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu capturing many of them, however, Iraia and Asuka quickly dashed in the air and performed a flip successfully out of the shadow's reach. Just as Asuka was about to counter Hiroshi formed the Snake sign and said, "Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Several wooden tendrils erupted from the ground aimed straight for Iraia and Asuka, however Iraia quickly countered forming the Tiger sign and said, "Lava Style: Severing Stream Jutsu!" From her mouth a powerful concentrated stream of hot lava cut and melted Hiroshi's Wood Style.

Asuka smirked at everyone's distracted and baffled expressions and quickly activated her Swift Style to move at inhuman speeds arriving right next to Shikadai and pushed him off balance freeing the girls from the Shadow Paralysis. It was at this moment that the boys who were ahead of the pack stopped in their tracks due to a large boulder falling from the sky and blocking the entrance into the school.

Inojin frowned. "Shino-sensei placed Traps? Let's go around."

At this point both the girls and the boys were neck and neck in the race. They all entered the school through the windows as they all began rushing to the stairs leading up to the roof. The only boys left in the race were Denki, Boruto, Inojin, Shikadai, and Hiroshi. As for the girls they were Sarada, Sumire, Iraia, Asuka, and Chocho. Denki quickly found a control outlet and plugged it into his laptop as he hacked the academy system forcing a metal shutter to drop down in the hallway right before the girls. Inojin quickly activated his Super Beast Scroll Jutsu and created a giant lizard-like drawing to come to life, however, Asuka quickly retaliated as she formed the Ram sign and shouted, "Water Style: Gunshot Jutsu!" She opened her mouth and released a powerful pressurized water bullet that shot straight through Inojin's Jutsu.

Shikadai frowned and stated, "Oi oi, doesn't this feel more like an actual ninja battle than a race?"

Boruto gritted his teeth and shouted, "Let's go! We gotta get to the roof first!"

Sarada frowned and also shouted, "Don't let them get to the flag!"

The race continued once more. As Boruto and the others disappeared, Sarada and the girls continued rushing to the roof. Just as they made it and Chocho was climbing upwards to get the flag, Boruto appeared. He smirked as he held a large scroll and created some blood on his thumb before forming some hand seals and shouted, "I won't let you! Summoning Jutsu!" A flash of purple light filled the area as a strange creature with a large snake-like tail appeared. It roared and was just about to strike Chocho when Hiroshi immediately became alarmed and formed the Snake hand sign shouting, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" Quickly a wooden snake shot from his arm and bit down on the strange creature's tail just in time to prevent it from hitting Chocho.

Iraia acted next as she immediately arrived before Chocho and pulled her away to a safe distance. Hiroshi gritted his teeth as the giant creature was much stronger than he had anticipated. The tail of the creature wrapped around his wooden snake that was attached to his arm and pulled thrusting Hiroshi into the air eliciting a scream from him.

"AH!"

Iraia widened her eyes in alarm and panic at the sound of her brothers scream. Just as the strange creature was about to attack Hiroshi, Konohamaru appeared and shouted, "Rasengan!"

BANG!

In a flash of bright light and but a mere moment the strange creature disappeared. Just before Hiroshi crashed into the side of the building Asuka dashed out with extreme speed thanks to her Kekkei Genkai and caught him in her arms like a knight in shining armor. Hiroshi smiled awkwardly in their current position.

"Uh...Ahem, thanks Asuka."

Asuka furrowed her brow and simply dropped Hiroshi on the rooftop. "Hmpf." She let out before slowly walking away.

As they all settled in front of the academy yard getting a lecture from Shino-sensei a loud creaking and quaking noise could be heard from the academy building. In but mere moments it caved in and crumbled in on itself leaving everyone dumbfounded. Off in the distance watching the entire ordeal happen was Mitsuki as he stared at the entire event with great interest.

**888**

A warm breeze blew by in a desert wasteland as the sun began to set in the horizon. It painted a colorful orange and red hue across this desolate looking area casting two shadows across the ground in its glow. One taller than the other. The shadow of two shinobi. The first shadow belonged to a shinobi who wore a white dress shirt with black buttons. The sleeves were rolled back to his elbows and he wore black pants to match. He donned a white haori over his shoulders with black fire patterns along the border. Black falling leaf images were printed on it as well. A katana was strapped to his waist and a leaf headband was tied to the sheath. A silver ring was worn on his left ring finger and a necklace with the letter H hung from his neck. His snow white hair softly swayed in the direction the wind blew brushing it off his blindfold covering his eyes. This shinobi was precisely the 6th Hokage, Karasuma Izaya.

Walking beside him was a young shinobi with handsome features and messy black hair that made him seem a bit imposing. His eyes had a distinctive golden hue to them giving many the impression of danger yet keeping them drawn by a mysterious feeling of intriguement. He wore a black dress shirt with gold buttons and a black pants to match. A golden colored cloak covered his frame and a locket in the shape of a jade colored magatama was worn around his neck. At this instant Izaya stopped walking prompting the young shinobi to stop as well. After taking a sweep of the surrounding area Izaya pointed to a large single tree in this desolate wasteland and said, "Zen, we'll camp there for the night. It doesn't seem like what I'm looking for is here. We'll head in the direction of Konoha tomorrow morning."

Zen simply nodded with great respect and replied, "Alright, Karasuma-sensei."


	2. The Hidden Leaf

**AN: Hey everyone and welcome back to another chapter of RITWON PT2! So far we've gotten to meet several new characters as well as several familiar characters like Naruto, Boruto, Sarada, etc. Stay tuned for meeting KimimaroxKurotsuchi's kids in the future! To help refresh your minds of who's kid is who's I'll help you out.**

**HakuxAkane: Asuka Yuki (Daughter) **

**IzayaxHanabi: Hiroshi Karasuma (Son-Twin), Iraia Karasuma (Daughter-Twin) **

**Izaya's Disciple: Zen Yagami**

**And if you haven't read RITWON PT.1 yet then copy here for the link and paste it in the search bar:** s/13397148/1/Reincarnated-into-the-world-of-Naruto

**Or search "Reincarnated into the world of Naruto"**

**Reminder:**

**_-Italics_ is how I will show that someone is thinking to themselves. Their thoughts. **

**-If you see this: 888 it means that there will be a scene change.**

**And always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Boruto or anything originating from the original story and plot of these universes. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyo Kodachi, Mikio Ikemoto, and their team. I only own my original plot and characters.**

**Yes, Sorry, I renamed the First Chapter "A New Generation!" So Second Chapter is "The Hidden Leaf"**

**I felt the title name was actually more appropriate for Chapter 2. **

* * *

Chapter 2

Zen woke up with a shout as he heaved in and out with a heavy breath. Sweat completely drenched his back and forehead as he stared down at his still trembling hands. He gritted his teeth trying to calm down his emotions as tears streamed down his face. It was then that he heard Izaya's voice behind him. "I see your nightmares haven't gone away."

Zen clenched his fist and quickly wiped away the tears from his face. He took a minute to finally calm down his emotions before replying, "Sensei...why do people kill each other?"

Izaya stared at the back of his disciple with a complicated gaze before replying, "Power, hunger, greed, want, need, lust, hate, desire. There's too many to name."

Zen frowned. "Did my mother die because the one who killed her was simply overcome with one of these emotions? If so, then wouldn't it be better to have no emotions. No one would feel any of those things. And no one would kill."

Izaya let out a soft sigh at the sight of his pitiful disciple. "Zen. What was the last thing your mother said to you? Do you remember?"

Zen flinched at his sensei's question. "She said that she loved me."

After replying to his sensei's question he elected not to tell his sensei about the other thing that his mother told him. _It's true that mother told me she loved me. But the last thing she truly said to me was to find the blindfolded warrior who wore a katana on his waist and who had snow white hair. She said that he was the one who saved us when I was just a baby. That he could be trusted. _

Izaya stared at Zen in silence for a moment before responding to what he said. "So...your mom said that she loved you huh? That's a relief. You know, some children are born without any parents. Like me. Some children are born with parents who don't love them. Some parents abuse their children. Even try to kill them. And some wouldn't bat an eye if their child died right in front of them. You told me that your mother died protecting you. She made the ultimate sacrifice. So why do people kill? Why do people have to die? If I had to give you an honest answer then it would be simply because we are human. You think that having no emotions would break this insanity that is bred within us, however, it doesn't. People would probably still kill. It would just be an emotionless killing. People would kill logically or illogically. But emotions are important. They give us the power to feel. When we feel the pain of losing someone we love we have the power to choose better. We have the power to choose a path that doesn't lead to a dead end. Am I saying that you should forget about the people who killed your mother? Of course not. You've killed them already, haven't you?"

Zen simply nodded his head as he listened to his sensei.

Izaya let out a soft sigh at Zen's answer. He then continued, "You must have felt better after killing them right?"

Zen once again silently nodded his head.

"You feel better, but your anger, sadness, frustration, it's still the same isn't it?"

Once again Zen nodded before replying, "Sensei. I don't know what to do. I've taken revenge for my mother, but...why don't I feel any less grief? I killed those scumbags who took my mother's life and it felt good to watch them die beneath my feet, but I don't understand. It still doesn't hurt any less inside."

Izaya's expression faltered slightly before he stood up from his seated position. He made his way slowly to Zen's side and sat down beside him as he draped an arm over his disciple's shoulders and brought him into a comforting hug. "Even if you exact revenge you need to have something else that drives you or else you'll be left with nothing in the end. The reason why it doesn't hurt any less is because you loved your mother so much. And that love will never leave you. And that isn't a bad thing. Zen, the love your mother showed you, don't ever forget it. But also don't let it weigh you down. Your mother wouldn't want her love for you to plague you and chain you down. Don't you agree?"

A few tears fell from Zen's eyes as he was held in his sensei's warm and comforting embrace. He recalled how his mother always tucked him in at night and how his mother kissed him goodnight. He recalled how his mother always told him to show kindness to others and to be well behaved. He recalled his mother's scolding and his mother's terrible jokes. He recalled his mother's nagging, always telling him to do his best so that he could have a bright future. He recalled his mother's sad smile every time she spoke about his father who had died when he was born. He recalled the moment when she had died. The blood that pooled non-stop from her body. And yet, he recalled how she had died with a smile on her face. Telling him to live on. To find a blindfolded warrior. That he could have a better future with him. That he shouldn't look back. He cried for awhile longer before he finally reigned in his emotions.

Izaya waited for a moment as Zen finally wiped away the last of his tears before saying, "Zen. Always remember how much love your mother showed you. I hope that one day, in the future, you can find someone whom you can give all of your love to just as your mother gave to you. Having someone to give all of your love to is the greatest power we can ever have. It is the greatest gift we can ever give. It is also one of the greatest feelings we can ever feel. Although it is the most painful when we lose the one who gave it, we'll always feel it. Their love. And we should cherish that. Even after the one who gave it is gone, we should cherish that we can still feel the gift of their love. It will always live on within us. Not as a chain, but as a source of our strength."

Zen nodded. "Karasuma-sensei. Do you have someone like that? Do you have someone whom you can give all of your love to?"

Izaya smiled at his disciple's question and glanced at his ring as the image of three people popped into his head. Hanabi, Hiroshi, and Iraia.

Zen looked up to his sensei questioningly after a long moment of silence. "Sensei?"

Izaya looked back down at Zen and simply replied, "Mn. I do."

He then quickly stood up and started walking. "Since we're up. Let's go. I don't think either of us are going to get anymore sleep tonight so we mind as well set out towards Konoha."

**888**

Naruto sat in his office as night blanketed the sky over Konoha. Shikamaru walked in and placed a document in front of him as he said, "This is Kakei Sumire. She was the daughter of a former surviving foundation member. She's been the source and cause of all of these strange incidents. Her father's name was Shigaraki Tanuki. Before he died he entrusted her with the Gozu Tennou that he had perfected. Sai is searching for her right now since she has just disappeared from the hospital room. Well, that aside there have been a lot of complaints about these incidents from the people since the police force didn't detain everyone who was involved. What should we do?"

As Naruto was in deep contemplation Kakashi walked in and said, "Well. It can't be helped. Back when Danzo and Root were disbanded it was the 3rd Hokage's, 5th Hokage's, and my decision at the time to not expose the identities of all those who were involved in the foundation."

Shikamaru turned and replied, "But even if their identities weren't exposed didn't Lord 3rd, 5th, and you do any kind of background check to ensure no loose ends?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Let me guess. During that time the village was still in a hectic state. The 4th Great Ninja war occupied everyone's attention and a lot of lives were lost in that war. The village had to focus on recuperating and so it would only breed fear, distrust, and suspicion amongst the villagers should some form of investigation of them take place. And I'm guessing that Izaya wasn't aware of the fact that there were any remaining foundation members left when he took office as the 6th Hokage."

Kakashi nodded. "Right. The village was in turmoil and chaos after the war. It slipped my mind and Lord 5th's mind about this detail. And now it's manifesting itself into an issue. This was our fault."

Shikamaru frowned. "Well, you made the right decision at the time. If the identities of those in the foundation were exposed, the first to be suspected would have been Sai. Anyways, the problem is what do we do now? Sumire is undoubtedly responsible for the incidents taking place in the Leaf."

Naruto frowned. "Are you suggesting we punish her like a criminal?"

"Our priority is to maintain the order in the Leaf. We can't afford to be soft. Even if she's still a child. By the way, Kakashi, why are you here? I thought you were on vacation?"

Kakashi let out a sigh. "Well. I would like to. But, the truth is I've been looking into some of Danzo's past. I happened to come across some information about the Gozu Tennou. Apparently it's embedded on the body of this girl."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "No wonder we couldn't find it no matter how hard we looked. This means that Sumire is the gate to which the Nue creature is summoned."

At that moment a loud rumbling and crashing sound could be heard near the outskirts of the village grabbing the attention of Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kakashi. In the outskirts of the village appeared a giant tiger monkey chimera-like creature with a giant snake tail attached to its body. It roared and screeched as it slashed at the forest below swiping the tops clean off. This creature was exactly the Nue. Just as its giant snake-like tail was about to attack Sai who was attempting to suppress it, Kakashi quickly appeared and struck its tail cutting the head of the snake clean off. He then proceeded to, with several other shinobi, activate the Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall Jutsu entrapping the Nue within a barrier of earthen rock.

However, in the next moment multiple snakeheads shot forth from where its wounded snake tail was and aimed straight at all the shinobi in the vicinity. As some shinobi were struck they fell to the ground as their chakra was absorbed by the Nue. Just as Kakashi and the others were racking their brains for a strategy, Naruto quickly appeared and said, "Tsk. I'll settle this in one go!" He prepared to enter his chakra mode, however Kakashi quickly interjected, "Wait! Naruto, this thing absorbs chakra. Using that isn't a wise decision. Once it absorbs your enormous chakra it will most likely detonate itself. That was how it was designed to be used after all."

Naruto frowned and clicked his tongue in frustration, however, everyone became shocked in the next moment as the Nue suddenly crashed into the ground creating a large crater beneath it. It screamed in anger as it thrashed around before standing back up to reorient itself.

Naruto widened his eyes in confusion. "What just happened?"

Kakashi and Sai were also confused until they all heard a very familiar voice behind them.

The voice of the 6th Hokage.

"If that thing absorbs chakra then perhaps I can help."

Naruto turned around in shock. "Izaya?! When did you get back?"

"Just now. Looks like you're having some trouble dealing with this creature here. What is it?"

Kakashi quickly replied, "It's a creature called Nue. It has the ability to absorb chakra and once it stores up enough inside it'll detonate. Its creation was a product of the foundation's research."

Izaya frowned a bit at the mention of the foundation but quickly replied, "The foundation? Remnants of Danzo's faction? I'll expect to be filled in on this later Kakashi, Lord 7th."

They both nodded as Izaya stepped forward to face the Nue. As the Nue roared and charged at Izaya he stared at it with indifference and placed his hands together shouting, "Wood Style: Multi Wood Dragon Jutsu!" The ground trembled as several large wooden dragons quickly ensnared the giant Nue restraining it of all movement and draining it of its chakra. Izaya then formed the Snake hand sign and said, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" Instantly a giant wooden snake erupted from beneath the Nue and wrapped itself around it several times before biting right into its neck suppressing its ability to mold chakra. Just as everyone breathed out a sigh of relief a giant distortion appeared before the Nue and dragged it into a different dimension leaving everyone baffled at this unexpected turn of events.

Naruto frowned as he commented, "The Transportation Jutsu?"

Kakashi furrowed his brow in confusion. "What the heck is going on?"

Izaya simply scratched the back of his head as he saw everything play out. A crow of his was flying high in the sky as it had watched Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sumire's fight in the distance. He also took note that it was Sumire's connection to the Nue that caused the spatial distortion to appear. He let out a sigh as he weaved the signs of Horse, Ox, Rat, Bird, Hare, and Ram. Naruto took notice of Izaya's hand signs and said, "Did you already mark it?"

Izaya simply nodded. "I did when I knocked it into the ground earlier." He then smiled and said, "I guess our kids can't leave things alone either when they see the village in trouble. Just like us when we were kids."

Naruto and the others just looked at Izaya in confusion, but before they could ask what he meant Izaya disappeared. He teleported into Nue's dimension and curiously watched Boruto and Mitsuki fight. He sat in the corner nodding in approval at the skill Boruto and Mitsuki were displaying. It wasn't too long before Boruto and Mitsuki had defeated Sumire and the Nue and were in the middle of coming to an understanding. That's when the dimension also started to collapse.

Boruto panicked as he said, "Th-This is bad! We have to get out of here!"

The ground began to collapse beneath them as rocks fell from the ceiling of the giant cave. Before Boruto could rush out to reach Sumire the ground collapsed in front of him. Mitsuki quickly dashed forward and stopped Boruto before he could fall.

"Class rep!" Boruto shouted in panic.

Sumire remained seated in defeat as she lamented her fate and said to herself in dejection, "I'm sorry everyone...It was fun...At the academy. Studying and training with everyone. I never had so much fun before."

It was at that moment she heard a voice beside her. "Well then, why not continue attending the academy?"

She flinched in startelement and turned to see an unfamiliar person, however, she knew exactly who it was because the face of this person matched the face of the 6th Hokage's rock face on the cliffside of Konoha. She stuttered in complete shock. "L-L-Lord 6th?"

Izaya turned to her and smiled. "Hello. I don't know all the details but...how about we get the other two and get out of here? All the hard thinking can come after we're all safe. What do you say?"

Sumire couldn't help but feel a sense of safety and ease being in the presence of Lord 6th and simply nodded. After Izaya saw her nod her head he quickly picked her up and teleported right next to Boruto which startled and shocked him greatly eliciting a shout from him.

"AH! Eh? Uh? U-Uncle Izaya?!"

Izaya simply smiled at his reaction. "Boruto, it's been a long time. How's my nephew doing?"

Boruto had on a deadpan expression as he replied, "Is this a good time to be asking that? We need to get out of here!"

Mitsuki simply stood on the side as he stared curiously at the 6th Hokage. Izaya nodded at Boruto's comment and replied, "Don't worry. That's what I'm here for." Not a moment later, with a simple touch on Mitsuki's shoulder and Boruto's forehead they all disappeared and reappeared by Naruto.

Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw Izaya return, but was instantly shocked when he saw that not only did Izaya return, but he returned with Sumire, Mitsuki, and Boruto. With his eyes raised Naruto remarked, "B-Boruto?! Don't tell me that you were involved? You went into the dimension the Nue was in?"

Before the situation could escalate out of control Izaya gently placed Sumire down on the ground and said, "Ahem! The children are alright. How about we let Sai and Kakashi take over from here. They are the chief of Konoha's police force and Jonin Commander after all, so I'm sure they can manage the situation here. More importantly Lord 7th I would like an explanation on what we talked about earlier."

At Izaya's words Naruto let out a defeated sigh and nodded. "Right. Let's discuss this back at the office."

Boruto simply stared in wonderment at the fact that his dad just so simply agreed to what Lord 6th had said. _No way?! Dad didn't continue to scold me? Instead he just decided to listen to what uncle Izaya said? Is uncle Izaya that amazing? And wait? How did uncle Izaya even get to that dimension? _

As Boruto was left to his thoughts Naruto and Izaya returned to the Hokage's office as Naruto began to give an in depth explanation of all the events that had happened in the past 2 months. After Naruto finished his report Izaya simply let out a long sigh. "I can't believe that there were actually still remnants of Danzo's organization around. What a pain."

Shikamaru who also happened to be in the room smirked and commented, "Heh. That's my catchphrase."

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Who could that be?"

Izaya simply smirked. "You'll see." He then turned to the door and said, "You can come in Zen."

The door then opened to reveal a young shinobi who seemed no older than Boruto. And if he was older then it wasn't by much. Naruto and Shikamaru gave a confused look at Izaya as Naruto asked, "Zen? Is he with you Izaya?"

Izaya nodded. "Correct. This is Zen. Yagami Zen. He is my disciple."

"EEEEHHHHH?!" Naruto and Shikamaru nearly had their eyes pop out of their sockets in extreme shock. Shikamaru stared at Zen with great interest for a few moments before asking, "When did you get a disciple?"

Izaya thought for a moment calculating the approximate time frame. "I met Zen about a year ago. He's a native from the Sage continent. But he also seems to have some sort of ties with our continent."

Naruto and Shikamaru slightly flinched at the information Izaya just gave them. Naruto inspected Zen more carefully before he said, "Hello Zen. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. The 7th Hokage of the village Konoha."

Zen simply nodded and replied, "It is an honor to meet you."

Naruto then asked, "Zen, since you're from the Sage continent are you familiar with the structure of the shinobi system and villages yet?"

Zen simply nodded once more. "Karasuma-sensei has taught me how this side of the world functions so I wouldn't be too shocked when I come here."

Naruto nodded and turned his attention back to Izaya. "I assume you brought your disciple to Konoha for a reason?"

Izaya nodded. "I want you to register him as an official Konoha shinobi and member of this village."

Naruto nodded as if he had expected this answer. "Alright. Since it's you who is requesting it I'll do just that. I'll get started tonight and have everything ready by the morning."

Izaya nodded in appreciation before turning his attention back to Zen. "Zen, starting from today, Konoha will be your home. You don't have to wander anymore. You can make real friends here. You don't have to be alone."

Naruto and Shikamaru flinched when they heard Izaya address Zen and instantly pieced together that this kid Zen must have had a tragic past. Zen nodded at his sensei's words and with a nearly inaudible voice he said, "Thank you...Sensei."

A moment of silence passed through the room before Naruto asked, "So Izaya, where have you been to this time?"

At Naruto's question Izaya furrowed his brow. "Zen, why don't you go take a stroll around the village. Take a look at what your new home is like."

Zen caught the hint that the conversation was probably going to reveal some classified information that he wasn't supposed to hear, so he nodded and quickly left the room. Izaya then turned his attention back to Naruto and Shikamaru.

"It's been a rough two months. I was exploring a dimension filled with some strange creatures made of pure shadows. Most likely a heavily Yin oriented dimension. The creatures there were highly intelligent and as you can guess, they utilized Yin style Jutsu. They were difficult to deal with. Their planet didn't seem to have a Divine Tree on it though. I searched for any traces of the Otsutsuki clan being there but couldn't find anything. I did, however, find traces of the Jashin cult existing there."

Shikamaru frowned at the mention of the Jashin cult and chimed in, "This is strange. Not only was there a Jashin cult here in our dimension, but if you include the one you just mentioned plus all the other ones you've mentioned to us before in the past, that makes a total of three dimensions with Jashinists. Just what is this cult? Don't tell me that the Jashin cult also comes from this place called the Heavenly Plane like the Otsutsuki? If that's true then this could get messy."

Izaya nodded at Shikamaru's analysis. "I think you're on the right track Shikamaru. I also believe that the Jashin cult comes from the Heavenly Plane. That's the only way it makes sense for it to span across so many different dimensions that happen to be so far away from each other. Anyways, although I found traces of the Jashin cult there I couldn't find traces of any of their members. Most likely any of the Jashinists who were on that planet got consumed by the natives there. The natives were quite dangerous. With no leads on the Otsutsuki and a dead end on the Jashinists I quickly took my leave from that place. I didn't return to our dimension until just a few weeks ago. I met up with Zen in the Sage continent before we both ended up back here in Konoha. How about Sasuke? Has he reported anything?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I haven't heard from Sasuke yet but he's still exploring around. I'm sure he'll make a report sometime soon."

Izaya nodded his head before preparing to leave. Naruto quickly chimed in, "You aren't leaving again already are you?"

Izaya let out a soft sigh. "Not for a few days. I'm gonna try and stick around for a bit. After all, I can't just leave and not say hi to my precious Hiroshi and Iraia. And I miss Hanabi. I need to see her. Being away from her for so long is bad for my heart you know."

Shikamaru massaged the bridge of his nose and remarked, "You know Lord 6th, don't you ever get embarrassed voicing out loud your affection for your family in front of others?"

Izaya simply smirked. "Never. Because a long long time ago I never could have imagined that I could be blessed with such a wonderful family." And with that Izaya disappeared from the Hokage's office. Shikamaru just sighed and said, "Well, at least he's honest about it. It may seem embarrassing but it's actually quite endearing of him. Actually I think you could learn from Lord 6th's example a bit Lord 7th."

Naruto simply rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

At this time Zen was taking a stroll around the village taking in all the sights. He marveled at how developed and modern Konoha was. From where he was from the difference was like night and day. Just as he turned a corner he caught a glimpse of a kid getting pushed around by three other kids. That one kid was actually Denki. As he was pushed to the ground the other three kids swiped his laptop from him and mocked and ridiculed him. Denki clenched his fist in anger and frustration but was powerless to do anything. The three kids bullying him were also shinobi, but shinobi from a different class. Just as Denki turned to face the bullies once more he froze in fear as he pleaded, "P-Please, no! Don't break my laptop! Please! I-I'll do whatever you want! Just not the laptop! It's important to me!"

The three kids simply smiled sinisterly as they watched Denki plead for mercy, and just as they were about to break his laptop they froze in their action. Fear welled up inside of them as they saw a giant ferocious creature in front of them. It snarled and growled releasing its murderous aura in the surrounding area. The three bullies screamed in fear as they dropped Denki's laptop and ran as fast as they could into the distance and out of sight. Denki panicked as he dashed out to grab his laptop before it could hit the ground, however, he tripped in his panicked state and fell back on the ground. He watched with bated breath as his laptop fell ever so slowly towards the ground and just before it hit, Zen quickly caught it in his hands. This turn of events startled Denki as he looked up at this new and unfamiliar person, but he looked up with immense gratitude. Zen held out his hand towards Denki to which he gladly accepted.

As Zen pulled Denki back up off the ground he handed him back his laptop and said, "Here. If it's that precious to you then defend it with your life." Just as Zen turned around to leave Denki stuck out his hand and said, "Wait! Um...Thank you. For helping me out. I'm Denki. May I know your name?"

Zen thought for a moment before responding, "Zen."

He then disappeared into the night leaving a very stunned and confused Denki. _Zen huh? Is he a shinobi too? I haven't seen him around before. Is he a student in one of the other classes? Plus, why did those guys run away earlier? They looked like they saw a ghost or something. _

Denki shook himself out of his thoughts as he held his laptop close to his chest and began his walk home.

Zen watched Denki leave from the shadows ensuring that the three bullies didn't come back before he took his own leave. It was at this moment that Izaya appeared before him.

"Sensei? You're back."

Izaya nodded. "I am. Did you get a chance to see the village?"

Zen nodded in response. "It's a beautiful place. Almost too beautiful. I can't really believe that I'll actually be able to live here and call it home."

Izaya smiled and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Come on. You can stay at the Hyuga residence for the time being. Lord 7th is going to arrange a place for you to have on your own in the next few days, so until then you can stay with me and my family. And if you want, you can stay with us indefinitely."

Zen felt his emotions stir at his sensei's offer but shook his head. "Thank you sensei. You've done so much for me, but the last thing I want is to intrude upon you and your family. If it wasn't for you I'd still be on the streets fighting for my life everyday struggling to get by. I'll take the living quarter arrangements made by the 7th Hokage."

Izaya stared at Zen for a moment in contemplation, but in the end he let out a soft sigh. "Alright. If that's your wish. Just know that if you ever change your mind, my offer still stands. And you'll always be welcomed to our home." Izaya then walked off to the Hyuga residence with Zen in tow. It wasn't long before they reached the entrance. It was already past midnight at this point so most of those within the residence were already fast asleep. Izaya carefully opened the gates without making much noise as he and Zen walked in. They didn't make it very far when loud footsteps could be heard rushing in their direction. Izaya simply smiled as he knew exactly who those footsteps belonged to.

In less than a few seconds several doors burst opened so loudly that it resonated throughout the entire residence. Hanabi ran with all her might and tackled Izaya to the ground gripping him in a tight embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she rubbed her head in his chest and stammered, "Y-You idiot! Two months and 18 days! How dare you leave me for so long!"

Izaya gripped Hanabi in just as tight of a hug as he too missed her more than anything in the entire world. "Hanabi! I missed you so much! I'm sorry!"

Zen was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to react as he awkwardly stood there completely forgotten by his sensei and obviously completely ignored by Hanabi. But even though he stood there awkwardly he felt a warmth in his heart at the sight of his sensei's reunion with his wife. He could feel just how strong the bond between them was and a thought crossed his mind. _This must be who sensei said that he has given all of his love to. And I can tell that she did the same. Will I be able to find someone like that one day? Someone I am willing to give all of my entire being to?_

As that last thought crossed his mind an old memory of his resurfaced of a beautiful little girl whom he once saw. He would never forget her. That girl had left a lasting impression on him. She looked like an angel that came down from the heavens. It was back when he was merely 6 years old. It was a cold and rainy day as he scavenged for food outside the dumpster of a tavern. Some mercenaries and thieves started causing trouble for the tavern owner and their daughter. Pushing them around. Physically and verbally abusing them. It was then that this angelic looking girl stepped in to defend the poor tavern owner. He remembered thinking that this girl was so incredibly brave and fearless, but at the same time naive, for she was putting her own life in danger. He recalled that beautiful snow white hair of hers and that strong unyielding character of hers, however he also recalled the part where she was physically beaten by those scumbags. No matter how much they beat her she never yielded and continued to defend that poor tavern lady and her daughter.

He felt incredibly angry and insurmountable rage at the sight and stepped in to help, however even he was no match as he was also beaten. He recalled how she pleaded for them to stop beating him. He recalled how she dashed out with all her strength to even try to shield him! A small little girl who had taken a physical beating and couldn't even defend herself tried to shield him! He was completely baffled. He couldn't understand it. All he knew was that she left an everlasting impression on him and that he would never forget her. He felt a warmth from her that he thought he'd never feel again after he had lost his mother when he was 4. However, in the end she was simply beaten back again and he was simply tossed aside into an alley. He never did find out what happened. All he remembered was that when he came to, she was gone and so were all those inside the tavern. Only the remains of those thieves and mercenaries were left. Strewn all about the floor in what could only be a horrific bloody massacre.

Zen was snapped out of his thoughts and brought back into reality when he heard two voices speak out at this moment.

"Gross! Mom! Dad! This is the courtyard! Can you not be like that for everyone to see. It's embarrassing!" Hiroshi exclaimed, however he was inwardly elated that his dad was back.

Iraia didn't care as she ran as fast as she could and dashed to the ground embracing Izaya in a tight hug as she exclaimed, "Papa!"

Zen could only widen his eyes in complete shock as he watched Iraia dash over to his sensei. The flash of her snow white hair. The feel of her angelic aura. Although she was much older now her appearance was nearly the same as he remembered, only a bit more mature and defined. His heart beat hard in his chest as his entire being froze.

_How can this be? It's her! It's really her! B-But she just called Karasuma-sensei papa! N-No way! It has to be a coincidence! It has to! Right?_

He was snapped out of his thoughts once more as Hiroshi was the first to take notice of Zen's presence and said, "Um...Yo! So who are you?"

Izaya looked up from the ground as he was still embracing Iraia and Hanabi in a tight hug and responded, "Right. Let me introduce you all. This is Zen. Yagami Zen. He's my disciple."


	3. Uchiha Shin

**AN: Hey everyone and welcome back! Well, I don't have much to say today so without further ado, enjoy! **

**And if you haven't read RITWON PT.1 yet then copy here for the link and paste it in the search bar:** s/13397148/1/Reincarnated-into-the-world-of-Naruto

**Or search "Reincarnated into the world of Naruto"**

**Reminder:**

**_-Italics_ is how I will show that someone is thinking to themselves. Their thoughts.**

**-If you see this: 888 it means that there will be a scene change.**

**And always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Chapter 3

It was currently still late into the night. The moon shone brightly down upon the village of Konoha painting a peaceful picture. Except for those who were involved, most of the people in the village hadn't even realized that a giant creature, the Nue, was released on the outskirts of the village in an attempted attack just a few hours ago. The matter was dealt with so quickly that nothing had changed the status quo of the village atmosphere.

Currently within the Hyuga residence in a quiet room was a small round table. The only light within that room was a single candle in the centerpiece. The white steam of hot tea in a pot rested on a large coaster as three people sat in peaceful silence sipping their drink. They were precisely Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hanabi, and the 6th Hokage Izaya. As Hanabi had made so much noise earlier rushing through the Hyuga residence to greet her husband, she had effectively awakened everyone in the Hyuga compound. That was how Hiashi came to know of Izaya's late return and invited him to some late night tea.

As Hiashi sat on one end of the table sipping his tea he couldn't help but curl his lips in an involuntary smile as he watched his daughter snuggle into Izaya's side with an expression of pure joy and happiness.

_Sigh. Look at this daughter of mine. They've already been married for many years but she's still head over heels for him. Well, it seems like Lord 6th feels the exact same way for my Hanabi. His feelings for her haven't diminished even after all this time. And they have blessed this old man with two beautiful children. Even the 7th Hokage and Hinata have blessed this old man with Boruto and Himawari. How lucky I am to be blessed with such a wonderful family. _

Just as Hiashi was lost in his thoughts he was quickly snapped out of it from Hanabi breaking the silence. "So you finally brought your disciple back to the Leaf just like you said you were. He's quite young. He should be about Hiroshi and Iraia's age right?"

Izaya nodded. "He's close to their age. He's actually a year older than them."

"How come you waited an entire year before bringing him back to the Leaf?"

"Hmm...Well, for several reasons. One, I was still training him. Helping him polish his skills. And two, he had a very tragic past. I've been trying to help him deal with it and mentally overcome it so it wouldn't dictate his life. He's still haunted by it to this day, but he has finally learnt to channel it into something more productive instead of letting it control his life. And even though he's here right now he won't be staying for too long. Zen and I will probably be heading out in a few days."

Hanabi frowned at Izaya's last comment. Izaya took note of it and softly placed his hands on the side of her cheeks.

"Hanabi. I promise I won't be gone very long this time. It's Zen's first time to this side of the continent so I just wanted to show him the other Great Village's first and let him gain some experience. Some new insights. Then I'll come right back. I'm not going off to some other dimension. Okay?"

After hearing what Izaya said she let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Mn. I hate it when you go off to some unknown dimension. Who knows what kinds of dangers could be waiting for you there. You said it takes an enormous amount of chakra and a lot of preparation to travel dimensions. If you get hurt and can't return I'll never know about it and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Izaya pulled her into a warm hug and softly massaged comforting circles on her back. Hiashi watched this all play-out and simply let out a soft sigh. He always felt conflicted about how his son-in-law always went off on these dangerous excursions which caused his daughter and two grandchildren to worry, however, he also knew that the reason his son-in-law explored these unknown dimensions were for the sake of the entire world. After a few moments of silence Hiashi finally broke the ice and changed the topic.

"Ahem. Naruto stopped by a few days ago along with Hinata. They brought Boruto and Himawari as well."

Izaya turned his attention to Hiashi as he replied, "Oh? It must have been quite crowded with Hiroshi, Iraia, Boruto, and Himawari running around. I haven't seen my niece in a while. How is she?"

Hanabi smirked and replied, "Heh. Crowded? Father smothered them all with so much love I think they felt suffocated. Right father?"

Hiashi simply coughed and almost choked on his tea. "Hmpf. It is only natural that a grandfather should spoil his grandchildren."

Hanabi laughed before raising her eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Izaya, just now you mentioned not seeing Himawari for awhile. What about Boruto?"

Izaya smirked. "Well, I just saw him a few hours ago. Ah, right. You both probably don't know since it all happened so fast but the village was attacked. Now before you both become alarmed you don't have to worry. It's all been taken care of and you can write it off as a minor incident. I'll tell you all about it another time if you want. Or you can just ask Boruto. He helped out."

Hiashi had a pensive look on his face before saying, "Izaya. The reason Naruto and Hinata came over a few days ago was because Boruto believed that he had awakened the Byakugan."

Izaya raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Like Himawari and Iraia? Or did he undergo some training like Hiroshi?"

Hiashi shook his head. "In the case of Himawari and Iraia, they both awakened their Byakugan from some form of intense emotional stimulus. As for Hiroshi he had undergone a strict training regiment under Hanabi to awaken his Byakugan. But when we tested Boruto here when he visited, his Byakugan didn't manifest itself."

Hanabi nodded. "That's right, but even if it didn't manifest itself he was so sure that he had awakened it. It didn't feel like he was lying."

Hiashi nodded in agreement. "I was wondering if you had some thoughts on this matter Izaya. Many people still don't know, but you yourself possess the Rinnegan. And you have traveled to many different dimensions seeing new and strange powers that we have not. Perhaps you can understand this better than us."

Izaya furrowed his brow in deep contemplation as he thought about it. _Boruto huh? In my past life I never got to the Boruto series. I only knew that there was the Uchiha Shin incident that was supposed to occur and in the future there were supposed to be members of the Otsutsuki clan that arrive here on Earth. _

Izaya took a sip of his tea before letting out a soft sigh and replied, "It's possible that...what Boruto has is not the Byakugan."

Hiashi and Hanabi immediately raised their eyebrows in curiosity and asked, "Then...what is it?"

Izaya placed his tea cup down before continuing. "Well...I'll be honest. I don't know. There are so many different types of unique powers in the world that one can't know about them all. First of all, Hinata is the Byakugan princess. Her Byakugan is incredibly pure. On top of this Naruto wields within him a portion of every Tailed Beasts and has the power of the Six Paths chakra. Furthermore he is an Uzumaki. The Uzumaki have distant blood ties with the Otsutsuki clan from Hagoromo's side whilst Hinata is a Hyuga, which has distant blood ties with the Otsutsuki clan from Hamura's side. If you factor all of this together it isn't out of the range of possibility that some form of mutation arose within Boruto that gave rise to a new kind of power. So while he may not have awakened the Byakugan, it may be that he has awakened some new kind of power. All I can say is that if it really seems like he isn't lying then he probably isn't. Just because we don't understand what this power is doesn't mean we should ignore Boruto and write him off. Instead it is better to monitor his situation and be supportive of him. He's probably just as confused if not more confused at what this newfound power of his is."

Hanabi and Hiashi took a moment to take in Izaya's words before nodding in agreement. Hanabi involuntarily yawned, prompting a smile to grace Izaya's lips.

"You're tired. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

Hanabi shook her head to refute, but before she could Hiashi laughed out loud and said, "Hahaha! It was my fault for keeping you both out so late. My apologies. I was just glad that my son-in-law had returned and wanted to chat a little. Go. Get some rest you two. Especially you Izaya. I'm sure it's been a long and tiring journey."

Izaya nodded in appreciation before quickly sweeping Hanabi off of her feet bridal style and replied, "Then, we'll take our leave father. I'll be around for the next few days." He then teleported away with Hanabi into their bedroom. Hanabi smiled and wrapped her arms around Izaya not letting him go.

"Izaya, what about the kids and your disciple?"

Izaya just smirked. "What about them? They'll all be fine. Don't forget. They are our kids. And Zen will be fine. He's a good and smart kid. Plus Hiroshi is like you. I'm sure he and Zen will become friends quickly. And Iraia will keep them in line if anything happens." He then smiled mischievously at Hanabi and growled heavily, "Instead of worrying about them, I think you should be more worried about yourself."

Hanabi smirked and let out a playful laugh knowing she probably wasn't going to wake up until late in the afternoon.

As the adults were off discussing and doing their own things, Hiroshi was amiably taking Zen around and showing him the different parts of the Hyuga compound. Iraia simply followed in silence as she occasionally gave a curious look at Zen.

_There's something about him that seems familiar. Have we met before? No...that's impossible. Papa said that Zen's from the Sage continent. That's on the other end of the world. I've only been there once with papa and that was back when I was 5 years old._

She slightly shuddered at the memory of the events that transpired back then as she recalled how naive she had been and how weak and powerless she was.

_During that time papa had still been the 6th Hokage, however the village had become very stable by that point and was even prospering. Under papa's leadership the village had bounced back from the devastation of the 4th Great Ninja War faster than any of the other villages. One day before papa was about to leave I had asked him to take me along. After mom said it was okay papa took me with him to the Sage continent. I have no idea what papa was going to do over there, but I just wanted to spend more time with him. According to papa there are two great continental divides on this planet. One is the continental divide we are on called the Six Paths continent and the other is on the other side of the world called the Sage continent. I don't really understand everything, but papa says that the reason is because on this side of the divide the people have been influenced by the Sage of Six Paths and their chakra system is that of Ninshu. But on the Sage continent the people there have been influenced by the simple natural energies of the world and their chakra system is that of Senjutsu. I still don't really understand. I haven't asked papa about it ever since. _

As she was lost in thought the memories of that day played back in her mind. She recalled how they had traveled around a giant sahara for a few days before reaching a very old looking town. Izaya had gotten a room in a tavern and told her not to leave under any circumstances before leaving to gather some information from the townspeople. However, she heard loud noises and the sound of screaming and shouting from downstairs. They were cries of pain and agony. She was curious as to what was going on and just wanted to take a peek, but when she did she was horrified by what she saw. The tavern owner and her daughter were horribly beaten by these mercenaries and thieves. She couldn't help it. Her body simply moved on its own and she dashed out gripping tightly onto the leg of one of the mercenaries stopping him from kicking the tavern owner to death. They immediately directed their anger at her and began assaulting her as well. She did her best to remain standing in front of the tavern owner and her daughter to shield them.

She knew how to defend her weak areas thanks to learning some Taijutsu from her papa, but she was easily outmatched in strength and skill. All she could do was take the beating. To her surprise a young boy came out of nowhere and stood in front of her trying to shield her from the attack. But just like her that boy was also beaten bloody. She cried in anguish and frustration as she shouted for them to stop. She even tried to help save the boy, but she was beaten back again. She felt so powerless. Before she could move again they had chained her arms and legs in place forcing her to watch as that boy was beaten to unconsciousness. She felt such grief and anger and hurt and sadness that she hadn't even realized that both of her eyes had instantly transformed. Her right eye had awakened the Byakugan whilst her left eye awakened the Sharingan. When those scumbags took notice of the transformation in her eyes they were completely bewildered. Just as they re-approached her she had shut her eyes in fear for what they would do, however, in the next instant she only remembered feeling incredibly warm and safe. The last thing she saw was her papa who held her close to his chest before she fell unconscious. She wasn't sure what happened afterwards because when she woke up she was back in Konoha safe and sound with all of her injuries healed and in her own bed as her papa slept beside her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts from the sound of Hiroshi's voice as he said, "And this is the guesthouse. You can stay here tonight Zen. I'm sorry to have taken so much of your time since it is getting late. I kind of got ahead of myself. Dad mentioned having a disciple a few months ago so I had always wanted to meet you. And so, it was nice to meet you!"

Zen looked down where Hiroshi stuck out his hand for a friendly handshake so Zen didn't stand on ceremony and returned the gesture. As they shook hands Hiroshi smiled before yawning. "Alright. I'm pretty tired. Iraia, don't forget we have class in the morning. We only have a few hours left before we need to get up again. Better catch some Z's." He then turned to Zen and said, "Well Zen, let's hangout some more tomorrow. But I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted." He then walked off leaving only Zen and Iraia standing in front of the guesthouse.

The entire time Zen hadn't been able to calm down the rapid beating of his heart. This was a new feeling for him. He felt butterflies in his stomach just being near her and he didn't know why. Just as he turned to face her the two of them made eye contact. He was instantly lost in her beautiful purple eyes. Hiroshi had purple eyes as well, but for some reason they didn't seem to gleam like Iraia's. Her eyes held something more than just the deep color of purple. They held hidden emotions. Emotions that she didn't want to show to others. Emotions that only those who knew a certain kind of pain, anguish, and suffering could see. And just as he was lost in her eyes, Iraia was also having the same experience. It was the first time she had really taken a look at this boy in front of her. The sparkling golden hue in his eyes looked so mesmerizing, but she couldn't understand why they also seemed so sad. Almost as if they had seen horrors that no child should ever have to see.

A minute passed between them. Then another. It was only after they heard a loud cough that the both of them tore their gazes away from one another. The cough came precisely from Hiashi who stood in the garden in front of the guesthouse. Iraia immediately greeted him and said, "Grandfather!"

Zen also quickly greeted with utmost respect, "Lord Hiashi!"

Hiashi smirked as he watched this all play-out, however, even if he knew that Zen was the personal disciple of his son-in-law, Iraia was still his granddaughter. He quickly went into overprotective grandfather mode and said, "Iraia. It is already late. Why don't you go get some rest. You have to wake up early for school in the morning."

Iraia quickly nodded. "Yes grandpa!" She quickly glanced at Zen one more time before leaving and said, "Have a goodnight."

This just left Zen and Hiashi making Zen feel a bit awkward. Hiashi broke the silence first. "Well. Your name is Zen correct? Mn...Get some rest. I'm sure it has been a long journey." With that Hiashi walked off somewhere into the Hyuga compound. Zen just let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't messed anything up for his sensei.

_Right. I know that sensei has offered me a place to stay here, but I'm glad I chose the other arrangement. I need to sort myself out first..._

In merely a few hours the sun had risen into the sky. Iraia had already gotten up and prepared for school when she noticed that Hiroshi's door remained closed. She frowned and instantly knew that he would oversleep if she didn't wake him. She knocked on his door but the only answer she received was complete silence. She knocked once more but again got nothing but silence.

_Sigh. Hard way it is._

She opened his door to see Hiroshi sloppily asleep as half of his body was on the bed and half was on the floor. His blanket barely even covered him. She simply shook her head, but she also couldn't help smiling at the strange scene it painted in the room. Just seeing her brother like this made her feel warm inside.

_He can be a troublesome prankster when he wants to and he can be a fierce shinobi when he wants to. But he's still my silly brother in the end. _

In the end she couldn't bring herself to kick him awake so instead she slowly walked up to him and softly shook him.

"Hiroshi."

"Hiroshi."

Hiroshi softly groaned as he felt someone shaking him. "Hmmm?...What is it?"

"It's time to wake up big brother. You'll be late for school otherwise."

Hiroshi instantly opened his eyes in startlement and shouted, "Ah! Crap! I even tried to go to sleep earlier than you so I could wake up in time!"

Iraia just watched Hiroshi dash around his room like a wild monkey and smiled at her brother's silliness before leaving him to his own devices. She quickly made her way into the kitchen and was glad that she did. She was greeted by the sight of Izaya in an apron preparing some breakfast. He quickly noticed her presence and smiled. "Good morning Iraia!"

Iraia smiled as she walked into the kitchen and put her own apron on that was hanging in the kitchen closet and replied, "Good morning papa! Can I help?"

Izaya smiled at how cute his daughter was and nodded. "Alright. Can you prepare the Kale Kobachi? After you're done can you set the table with some rice and the miso soup? I'll finish cooking the grilled salmon."

Iraia nodded happily as she did as instructed.

_I'm glad papa is home. Eh? But where's mom? Usually mom is awake already with breakfast made._

"Papa?"

Izaya continued grilling the salmon as he responded, "Hm?"

"Um...Where's mom? She's usually up at this time."

Izaya nearly dropped the salmon he was flipping over at Iraia's question as he recalled the reason why Hanabi wasn't awake yet.

"Ahem...Um, your mom was up very late last night. Since we haven't seen each other in awhile we had a lot to talk about...So she'll probably be asleep for awhile longer. Let's not bother her okay?"

Iraia simply tilted her head a bit in confusion. _Eh? But papa is awake already? Isn't he tired too then? Oh well. Best to let mom sleep in then._

She quickly finished preparing the Kale Kobachi and set the table for 4 people. One for her, her papa, Hiroshi, and Zen which prompted her to ask, "Papa, will Zen be joining us for breakfast?"

Izaya nodded as he finished grilling the salmon and brought it to the table. "He is. Where's your brother?"

"Here!" Hiroshi shouted as he quickly stumbled down the hall and into the kitchen. Izaya smirked and walked over to Hiroshi ruffling his hair a bit.

"You were gonna sleep in weren't you?"

Hiroshi smirked at his dad's comment and replied, "You wouldn't have minded would you?"

Izaya laughed but shook his head. "Nope. You're ready to graduate. But still, if your mom found out that I was going to let you skip then we'll both get yelled at. Now come sit down and eat your breakfast. You both have 20 minutes left before you need to go."

"Mn." Iraia and Hiroshi nodded as they took their seats. Just as Iraia was about to ask where Zen was the door that led to the garden and into the kitchen opened revealing his frame. Izaya took a seat at the table and pointed to a seat for Zen to take which he did appreciatively. As everyone began eating their breakfast Izaya paused and took in the sight before him. He felt nothing but pure joy and happiness as he watched the three kids in front of him eating.

_If only everyday could be like this. But I'll have to head out soon. According to Senko he's almost ready to open another gate leading to another dimension. After the incident with the moon and Toneri all those years ago I served as the Hokage for another 8 years before handing over the position to Naruto. So I've only been traveling to other dimensions for the last couple of years. In those short amount of years I've been able to enter 8 different dimensions with Senko's assistance. But I'm worried about what I'm finding. Three of those dimensions have been wiped clean of any life and energy. Remnant traces of Divine Tree's fill those lands. Another dimension was filled with nothing but negative energy and dead bodies all around as the symbol of the Jashin cult was plastered everywhere. That negative energy fueled some kind of horrific beast and the only thing in that dimension was that monster. It hunted me down the entire time I was there so in the end I killed it. The power it wielded was no less than at least three of the Tailed Beasts combined. Just what exactly is going on out there? _

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of all three kids finishing their breakfast. Hiroshi looked over at his dad and noticed that he had barely eaten anything yet. "Um...Dad? Is everything okay?"

Izaya smiled and took a sip of his miso soup before replying, "Yeah. I'm fine son. Thanks for asking. Now go on. You and your sister are going to be late if you keep delaying."

Hiroshi smirked at his dad's playful jab and dashed out the door while waving goodbye. Just as Iraia had one foot out the door she turned and asked, "Zen, are you not going to join us?"

Zen gave a thoughtful look before shaking his head. "No. I'm not enrolled in the academy so it'd be inappropriate for me to randomly show up." He then glanced at his sensei before continuing, "Besides, I still have some homework I need to finish for sensei."

Iraia simply nodded before rushing out to catch up with Hiroshi. As Zen watched Iraia and Hiroshi disappear around the corner he asked in curiosity, "Karasuma-sensei. How do I compare to Hiroshi and Iraia in my shinobi skills?"

Izaya slightly flinched at the unexpected question but gave it some serious thought. "Hm...well, your Genjutsu skills are second to none. I can't think of anyone who would be your match in that field. Taijutsu-wise? You have Hiroshi beat. But if you want to beat Iraia, heh, then you need to practice more."

Zen raised an eyebrow with interest. "Iraia is better than I am at Taijutsu?"

Izaya simply nodded his head.

Zen tilted his head in deep thought before asking, "Then what about in the other skills?"

"Hmmmm...Other skills huh...Well, that's a bit harder to judge. If we take into account just pure Ninjutsu skills without the use of any Kekkei Genkai then you have the edge over them. But, if you take into account their skills over their Kekkei Genkais, then I can't really give a verdict."

Zen stared at his sensei in confusion and asked, "What do you mean by Kekkei Genkais? You mean Hiroshi and Iraia possess more than one?"

Izaya smiled and without giving a definite answer he replied, "They are my son and daughter after all."

Zen was inwardly shocked at the hidden meaning of his sensei's words. Izaya took note of Zen's shock and said, "Well, you have more real battle experience than they do. You grew up in a harsh place where your life was on the line everyday, so if you had to fight Hiroshi or Iraia one-on-one then it would be your victory, however, if you had to fight them both, then you'd lose."

Zen nodded at his sensei's informative analysis and was shocked, but in a good way. _So Hiroshi and Iraia are that strong huh? I guess I should have expected this. They are the son and daughter of Karasuma-sensei. Looks like I still need to work harder. _

Izaya quickly finished his breakfast before getting up from the table and created a Shadow Clone. As his Shadow Clone was cleaning up the table he slowly walked out to the courtyard and said, "Zen. Come spar with me as a warm-up. After that we'll focus on improving your control over your Kekkei Genkai."

Zen nodded in seriousness as he stood on the opposite side of his sensei. Izaya nodded in approval at Zen's focus and said, "Start."

Fwish!

Zen activated his Sharingan and dashed as quickly as he could straight at Izaya and quickly struck at his throat. Just before he was going to connect his attack, Izaya had expertly tilted his head to the side to avoid being hit and quickly countered with a palm strike right at Zen's chest. Zen gritted his teeth and with his free hand he quickly parried the strike not letting Izaya touch him. He then quickly followed up with a front kick only for it to miss. He performed a series of kicks, punches, sweeps, and strikes, but each one was less successful than the last as he was greatly outmatched. Just as he saw Izaya's fist aiming straight for his cheek he quickly placed both arms up and expertly guarded the attack. He then followed up by quickly taking out a kunai and slashed right at Izaya's wrist, however, Izaya expertly opened up his fist into a palm and gripped Zen's wrist twisting and disarming the kunai from his hand. As the kunai fell to the ground Izaya kicked it straight towards Zen's chest while still keeping his grip on Zen's wrist. Zen widened his eyes in shock and quickly pulled out another kunai with his free hand bringing it in front of his chest to block Izaya's expert attack.

Ting!

The two kunais clashed as the one aimed at his chest was expertly deflected. Zen then used the kunai in his hand to swipe towards Izaya's hand that was still gripping his wrist, however Izaya quickly grabbed the deflected kunai and at the same time tripped Zen's feet throwing him off balance. This disoriented Zen, causing him to fail in his attempt to free his wrist from Izaya. As he began to fall to the ground Izaya expertly made his way behind Zen and pinned him flat on the ground forcing Zen's arm behind his back. Izaya kept a knee on Zen's back to keep him grounded and placed the kunai in his hand at Zen's throat. The match was over.

Izaya nodded in approval and quickly unhanded his disciple.

"Your skills have improved. You aim for the most vulnerable parts of your target's body to quickly turn the favor into your hands and end the fight. Your ability to quickly utilize kunai in a fight has improved also, but I'm most impressed by your improvements in your reaction speed and your ability to utilize your Sharingan to read your opponent's movements."

Zen massaged his wrist and arm before deactivating his Sharingan and respectfully saluted Izaya saying, "Thanks for the lesson sensei."

Izaya nodded as he stared at Zen in careful consideration. "Zen. Did your mother really never tell you who your father was? The fact that you possess the Sharingan means that either your mother or father was from the Six Paths continent."

Zen could only shake his head as he was just as clueless. "My mother didn't want to talk about my father. She said that my father was a great and brave man, but he was different than the natives of the Sage continent and so he had many enemies. She wanted to protect me from those enemies so she never mentioned it. The only mention she ever made of my father was that he was blind, yet despite that factor he was still incredibly powerful and honorable."

Izaya only furrowed his brow in deep contemplation and confusion.

_Zen is an enigma to me. He's like a bridge between both the Six Paths continent and the Sage continent. The natives of the Sage continent are born with natural energy as the basis of their chakra, therefore they are all capable of utilizing Senjutsu. They have all the enhanced traits that Senjutsu gives one in Sage Mode without actually having to enter Sage Mode. The thing is that they don't have a comprehensive system to utilize Jutsu. Only some of the natives there have discovered how to weave hand signs to better gather their chakra to perform Senjutsu, but even then their knowledge is limited. If they had our system of weaving hand signs to mold chakra they would become extremely formidable since all of their Jutsu's would be fueled by natural energy. The downside to their natural power-up is that none of the natives there, as far as I have seen, are born with any Kekkei Genkai. All except Zen. For some odd reason Zen was born with both natural energy like the natives of the Sage continent and Ninshu chakra like us in the Six Paths continent. _

_He wields both chakras inside of him making him a unique existence. A natural born Senjutsu user with two Kekkei Genkais. And of all Kekkei Genkais one of them had to be the Sharingan! This makes me more baffled. I could understand if it was a Kekkei Genkai born from his innate chakra natures, but the Sharingan stems from the Sage of Six Paths! Long ago when I travelled to the Sage continent I discovered a sealed scroll at a black merchant shop. It was sealed using our Ninjutsu system. I thought that I was the first one to ever make contact with the Sage continent from our continent, but finding that scroll made me realize that I probably wasn't. The thing is, when I searched for the clues relating to that scroll it only leaves me more confused. According to what I had gathered, that scroll belonged to someone called Itachi. But when I surfed through the memories of that merchant who acquired the scroll from this so called Itachi, the frame of that mysterious person doesn't match Itachi's frame at all. I tried searching for that person named Itachi but supposedly he's dead. According to the information I had gathered. Zen is definitely somehow connected to this Itachi, but just who exactly is it? It has to be someone related to the Uchiha...Right?... _

In the end Izaya simply let out a sigh in defeat. _Well, maybe I'll discover the truth of this matter one day. _

"Alright Zen. I want you to focus on trying to activate your Kekkei Genkai. It's been tough on you, but you've made steady progress. Last time you were able to activate it for a total of 4 seconds. Let's aim for 6 seconds today."

Zen nodded as he sat in the lotus position and focused with all his being at the task his sensei put before him.

**888**

At this time Iraia had dashed off with Sarada and Chocho as they chased after Lord 7th's trail. As they were running Chocho chimed in while eating potato chips, "Is this really okay? Skipping out on school like this? I never took either of you as ones for breaking the rules."

Sarada smirked as she replied, "I overheard Lord 7th say that he's meeting up with papa. I haven't seen him in awhile. I just want to see him before he leaves again. Missing one day of class isn't going to hurt. Besides we're still within the territory of Konoha."

Iraia simply followed along to support Sarada but she silently agreed with what Sarada had said.

_Sarada's right. Missing one day of class isn't going to hurt. Even though papa is also gone a lot on his mission he still comes home as often as he can. I can't say the same for uncle Sasuke, but I can understand how Sarada feels._

Just as they were in the middle of their chase they quickly came to an abrupt halt as a strange kid who was probably no older than themselves stood in front of them. He was incredibly pale and gave off an eerie feeling, but the most shocking fact was that he bore the Sharingan in both of his eyes. Sarada stared in wariness and asked, "Who are you? How do you have the Sharingan? I thought papa and Lord 6th were the only ones left who had it."

At Sarada's question that boy simply replied, "I am Uchiha...Shin. You with the glasses. Come with me."

Sarada frowned. "Uchiha?...I thought papa and I were the only Uchiha's left...What if I refuse?"

"Father said to bring you. His orders are absolute." Without wasting anymore words he threw out 5 kunai at them. Sarada quickly reacted as she threw out just as many kunai successfully defending against the attack. Chocho used that moment of opportunity to arrive behind Shin and shouted, "Partial Expansion Jutsu!" She struck down with her enlarged arm, however Shin successfully avoided her attack and backflipped into the air. He pulled out a scroll and summoned a large fuma shuriken with a chain attached throwing it straight at Chocho.

Iraia's right eye quickly transformed into that of the Byakugan as she struck out with her palm and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" A powerful thrust of air collided against the fuma shuriken deflecting it to the side giving Chocho enough time to regroup by Iraia and Sarada's side. Just as Shin landed on the ground Sarada quickly formed her hand signs and shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Shin furrowed his brow at how quickly and skilled his opponents had coordinated their attacks as he dashed to the side to avoid being scorched. It was then that Chocho shouted once more, "Partial Expansion Jutsu!" This time her giant fist connected and slammed against Shin's chest sending him flying through the air. Iraia took this chance to throw several shuriken at him, however Shin frowned in frustration and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Instantly his eyes went from the standard Sharingan pattern to a giant black pupil in the center with three small triangular shaped patterns protruding from it. Through the power of his Mangekyo he controlled his 5 kunai from earlier to fly through the air and intercept Iraia's attack. He then took out a scroll and summoned more than 20 kunai aiming them right at Iraia. He also remotely controlled his large chained fuma shuriken to fly straight at Chocho.

Sarada panicked and shouted, "Chocho! Iraia!"

Iraia frowned and quickly shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Bang!

She successfully deflected the giant fuma shuriken away from Chocho in the distance, and just before the 20 kunai could reach her she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" With a quick spin of her body a giant whirlwind of chakra created a powerful dome-like shield around her that deflected all 20 kunai away. Chocho and Sarada were shocked at Iraia's display of her Hyuga Taijutsu prowess. All this, however, only proceeded to anger Shin even more. Just as he was preparing another attack Naruto appeared, but before Naruto could act a small strange creature with a single Sharingan appeared before Shin and said, "Shin. Forget it. That is the 7th Hokage. Rumored to be one of the greatest shinobi of his time. Retreat for now. You can't beat him on your own."

Shin could only grit his teeth and nodded as the strange creature teleported both itself and Shin away in a swirling distortion. Naruto frowned. "The Transportation Jutsu? That's troublesome."

Sarada slowly walked up to Naruto and asked, "Lord 7th, who was that? What do they want?"

Naruto gave a thoughtful look for a moment as he looked at the three young kunoichi in front of him before replying, "Well. I'm not all that sure yet, but for some reason they wanted you Sarada."

"EH? Me?" Sarada exclaimed.

Naruto walked over and gently patted Sarada's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. All of you...that's what I'd like to say, but from the looks of how you three fought earlier it didn't really seem like you needed my help. I'm happy to know that the kids from my village are so skilled." He then turned to look at Iraia and said, "Iraia, I didn't know you had awakened the Byakugan. Your control over it is impressive."

"Thank you Lord 7th. I still have much to learn." Iraia simply replied.

Chocho just went back to eating her potato chips and asked, "What now?"

Naruto let out a sigh. "Well, I can't just send you all back to the village alone now with a hidden threat looming around. Guess the safest place for you all right now is with me. Truth is I'm about to go and meet Sasuke. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you Sarada. Let's go."

"Mn." The three of them nodded as they followed Naruto to the meeting point where Sasuke was.


	4. The Power of Supreme Shinobi

**AN: Chapter 4 is up today! Now, like I said I don't have a set schedule to release the chapters. So far the first 4 chapters have come pretty quickly, but that remains to be seen for the rest. I'll do my best to keep up with the writing, but I'm also (thinking) about writing another story alongside this one so we'll so how it goes. **

**And always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!**

**Note: Instead of "Taiyougan" I elected to use the name "Sun Sphere" but they are the same Jutsu as before. **

* * *

Chapter 4

As Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia followed Naruto to the meeting point where Sasuke was Chocho chimed in, "Hey, Sarada. What's your dad like? I don't think I've ever officially met him."

Sarada smiled both happily and sadly as she recalled her dad's face before replying, "Well...I haven't seen papa in about a year. He's...He's quiet. But he's very strong. Right Lord 7th?"

Naruto simply smiled and replied, "Yeah. Sasuke is very strong. And you're right. He's very quiet."

Chocho had an unsatisfied expression on her face as she said, "Oi oi. Lord 7th aren't you just repeating what Sarada said? And Sarada, that doesn't tell me much about your dad. You have to give details like, is he tall? Fat? Short? Brown hair? Is he handsome?"

Sarada gave a deadpanned look at Chocho who seemed lost in her own fantasy world. She then turned her attention to Naruto and asked, "Lord 7th. You grew up together with papa right?"

Naruto nodded as he remembered the old days. "That's right. I even grew up with Iraia's dad, the 6th Hokage."

Sarada seemingly intrigued asked, "Can you tell us more about papa and Lord 6th? What were they like back then?"

Naruto pondered for a bit and rubbed the underside of his chin thinking how to answer. "Hmm...Well. Truth be told both Sasuke and Lord 6th were kind of similar back then. They were both very popular with the kunoichi at the academy...Er, just like me. Mm...they were both very handsome too! Just like me. They both always got the top grades in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Shurikenjutsu. Just like me. Ah but Sasuke was totally anti-social. Rude! Arrogant! Totally unlike me! Er...And Lord 6th was just Lord 6th."

Sarada and Iraia had conflicting feelings at Naruto's description of their dads towards the end as Chocho commented, "Eh? What does Lord 6th being Lord 6th mean? That doesn't make any sense at all. And Sarada, your dad sounds sort of mean."

Naruto laughed awkwardly realizing his mistake and quickly interjected, "Ahem! Um...What I'm trying to say is that at the end of the day. Sasuke was my rival! And to this day that remains true. As for Lord 6th. He's someone I look up to. Even to this day."

"Eh?" Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia exclaimed with interest. Chocho ate a potato chip and questioned, "There's someone even you look up to Lord 7th? Lord 6th is Iraia's dad right?"

Naruto chuckled lightly and nodded. "Well, back in the day I guess you could say that Sasuke and I were sort of in a rough spot. It was Lord 6th who helped us out. So to this day I still really respect him. Sarada, you remind me a lot of Sasuke and Sakura. Your eyes are just like his and your skills with a kunai and use of the Fireball Jutsu remind me of him. But your presence feels just like Sakura's, like you'd be very frightening when angry. As for you Iraia. You're a lot like your mom and dad too. Your hair is exactly the same color as Izaya's and your presence feels the exact same. Calm, cool, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous. And your Taijutsu skills are just like your mom's. Fierce and flawless."

At that moment the sight of a tall tower came into view prompting Naruto to point out, "There it is. That tower is where I'm supposed to meet Sasuke."

As they approached closer and closer, out of nowhere and without warning that strange small creature with one Sharingan appeared out of a spatial distortion and also transported Shin along with an adult version of himself who wore the Akatsuki's cloak and had multiple Sharingans all over his body. Immediately adult Shin threw out several long blades straight at Naruto who quickly activated his chakra mode and created a Kurama tail to deflect all the blades. In the next instant Sasuke dashed out from the tower to intercept both Shins.

Sasuke unsheathed his katana and stabbed right at adult Shin who smirked and gripped the blade ignoring the fact that he got cut in doing so. Young shin appeared behind adult Shin at that moment with a large fuma shuriken in hand, however before he could attack, Sasuke activated the power of his Rinnegan and swapped places ending up behind adult Shin. He then shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Just before the flames reached adult Shin he utilized the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan and controlled the body of young Shin to shield him from the attack as they both fell to the ground. As Sasuke fell he quickly retrieved his katana and landed by Naruto's side who was currently shielding Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia. As adult Shin pushed off the ground he stared at Sasuke and sinisterly smiled. "So, that is the power of your Rinnegan. Uchiha Sasuke. That is certainly a power I would like to have in order to revive the Akatsuki."

Naruto frowned after hearing those words. "Akatsuki? Who are you?"

Adult Shin Smirked. "My name is...Uchiha Shin."

Iraia frowned when she heard that and questioned, "Isn't that the name of the young boy we fought earlier?"

Sasuke frowned and remarked, "Well, it doesn't matter. Once we capture him we'll learn the truth." As he dashed forwards to attack with his sword in hand, adult Shin evilly smiled and activated the power of his Mangekyo causing Sasuke's sword to fly directly backwards stabbing Naruto in the abdomen. Naruto groaned in shock and pain as his protective chakra surrounding Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia came undone. Immediately adult Shin used that chance to control his other blades in the area to attack Sarada.

Sasuke was greatly alarmed and quickly arrived before Sarada shielding her from the attack getting stabbed in the process. It all happened so quickly that Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia didn't even have time to process what had happened. Sasuke groaned in discomfort as he began bleeding in the areas where he was stabbed, however something changed in Sarada's eyes at that moment. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the wounds on Sasuke's body as her vision turned red. The Sharingan. She had awakened the Sharingan at that moment.

Just as adult Shin was about to celebrate his victory a loud shout was heard. The next thing he knew he was punched and instantly crashed into the ground as a large crater was formed. And the one responsible? It was precisely Sakura.

**888**

Meanwhile Hiroshi paced back and forth during lunch break as he couldn't find his sister anywhere. He ran off to the academy first and thought that she was following right behind him only, when he reached the academy grounds and turned around he couldn't find any trace of her. He simply shrugged it off thinking that she just simply took longer saying goodbye to their dad, however once class actually started he was really confused. His sister had never missed class before. In fact, should anyone miss class it would be him. What threw him off was that Sarada and Chocho were also missing from class and Sarada was another person who he knew would never usually miss class without a good reason. He assumed the three of them must be off doing something so he didn't worry too much. But now it was lunch break and all three of them were still gone. He could have sworn that the three of them would have come to school by this point. Now he was nervous that something was wrong and he wasn't there to protect his little sister.

Boruto, Mitsuki, Shikadai, Denki, Inojin, and Iwabe just stared at Hiroshi pacing back and forth and back and forth over and over and over again before Boruto couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "AHHHHH! Cool it will you Hiroshi! You're starting to make ME nervous. I'm sure they're fine. I mean, it's Sarada, Chocho, and Iraia we're talking about. As long as it doesn't involve food then Chocho's got some self-restraint. And Sarada and Iraia aren't the type to do something rash."

Shikadai smirked and commented, "Right. They aren't, unlike someone we know."

Boruto caught his underlying meaning and replied, "Oi oi, I know you're referring to me Shikadai."

Denki just let out a sigh and said, "How about we just all calm down. It's not like we know where they went anyways so there's no use fretting over it. Plus, this is Konoha. Lord 7th is here isn't he? And from what you told us earlier Hiroshi your dad's back to which means Lord 6th is also here. With both Lord 6th and Lord 7th around I don't think we have to worry about anything bad happening to Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia."

After hearing what Denki said everyone unknowingly calmed down a bit.

Hiroshi stopped pacing and just let out a sigh. "Haaaa...Yeah...You're probably right Denki."

Creak.

The door to the classroom opened as all of their classmates returned along with Shino to resume class. It wasn't until the afternoon that class was finally over with still no sign of Chocho, Sarada, and Iraia. Hiroshi quickly ran back home as fast as he could and dashed into the Hyuga residence. He was running so fast that he didn't watch where he was going and bumped into Hanabi who gave Hiroshi a curious glance and asked, "Hiroshi? Are you okay? You seem to be in a bit of a rush?"

Hiroshi quickly looked up and said, "Mom! Uh, sorry. I'll pay more attention in the future. Where's dad? Or, er, did you see Iraia come by?"

Hanabi tilted her head confused and simply shook her head. "Iraia? No...I haven't seen her yet. Your dad's baking some dessert in the kitchen."

Without wasting any time he dashed towards the kitchen while shouting to Hanabi, "Thanks mom!" As he opened the kitchen door he saw Izaya mixing some batter in a bowl and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

_Relax. Relax. It's probably nothing. I'm sure Iraia is fine. It's not like I had a sort of strange feeling or anything...Right? I mean, I am only her twin. And twins don't have that kind of intuition...do they? Forget it, forget it. Damn it. You better be okay little sister!_

As Hiroshi was lost in his thoughts Izaya had stopped what he was doing a while ago and simply stared at his son who had burst into the kitchen only for him to fidget in place without saying anything. Izaya simply smirked to himself and took a spoonful of batter flinging it across the room causing it to smack Hiroshi right in the face leaving a trail of gooey goodness. This instantly snapped him out of his thoughts and caused all the worry to leave his body as he shouted, "UGGHHH! DAAAAD!"

Izaya just laughed before saying, "Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? You came bursting in here and then just started fidgeting. Is something wrong?"

At Izaya's words Hiroshi cleared his throat and said in seriousness, "Dad. Um...Iraia wasn't at school today. She disappeared and I don't know where she went. It's not like her to disappear for so long without letting me know."

After hearing Hiroshi's words Izaya immediately furrowed his brow and his expression became serious. He put down the bowl of batter in his hands and closed his eyes as he immediately spread out his senses, but he instantly relaxed as he felt Iraia's presence along with Chocho's and Sarada's by the village gates. He turned to Hiroshi and smiled at him before saying, "Don't worry Hiroshi your sister's fine. I sensed her just now. She's in the village with Chocho and Sarada. But just in case something did happen I'll go check up on her." He then placed the bowl of batter in Hiroshi's hands and said, "While I'm gone can you finish mixing that? Thanks!"

Hiroshi just scratched the back of his neck awkwardly at how everything played out as he watched Izaya disappear in a flash.

_Er...Well...Now I feel like an idiot worrying for nothing._

And without even noticing he began stirring the batter involuntarily as the motion was oddly relaxing after his mental rodeo...

A few hours passed as the afternoon turned into evening. At this moment there were two people inside the Hokage's office. They were two of the most powerful shinobi in all of history. Naruto and Sasuke. As they were talking the door to the Hokage's office swung open prompting Naruto and Sasuke to stop mid-sentence in their discussion to see who it was.

"Izaya?" Naruto questioned.

"I heard you got back just in time to stop the Nue." Sasuke commented.

Izaya just stared at Naruto and Sasuke in complete silence. A minute passed. Then another creating an awkward atmosphere for Sasuke and Naruto as Naruto finally scratched the back of his neck in confusion and asked, "I-Is something wrong Izaya?"

Finally Izaya just let out a loud defeated sigh. "How?"

Sasuke and Naruto just looked at each other in confusion at Izaya's question.

"How what?" Naruto ventured to ask.

"How have both of your battle senses dulled so much to the point that you let some random rogue ninja get the better of you? You both are two of THE most powerful shinobi in ALL of history. And you let those three kids see you both in such a sorry state? Please tell me you intentionally let yourselves get injured? And if you did then you better give me a good reason as to why you would want to traumatize our kids into watching you both get stabbed and bleed out."

Sasuke and Naruto immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed after hearing what Izaya said. A few seconds passed and a formless pressure started weighing down on both Sasuke and Naruto as they couldn't find a good excuse. Finally Naruto just let out a defeated sigh and replied, "Uh...Ahahaha...I don't have a good answer. It just sort of happened I guess." However, within Naruto's mental psyche was Kurama as Kurama shook his head and said, "What a shame. He's right you know. Your battle sense has kinda dulled."

Sasuke also just sighed. "I...made a mistake."

Izaya frowned at both of their answers. "Well then. We're going to correct that."

At Izaya's words Naruto and Sasuke raised their eyes in confusion and replied, "What do you mean?"

"I mean since both of your battle senses seem to have dulled we need to resharpen your knife. In this case you need to fight someone whom you can practice your skills on. Truly practice your skills on."

Sasuke furrowed his brow as he said, "Are you suggesting we fight...you?"

Naruto widened his eyes in shock and quickly added, "Wait, hold on! I get that sparring against one another would be a good change of pace since it has been awhile since Kurama and I stretched our legs, but you don't mean to take on BOTH of us at the same time right?"

Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not the rusty one. I'll admit. It'd be a challenge to take you both on at once...If you were in prime shape. But getting stabbed by a rogue ninja who most likely had barely a hundredth of your chakra Naruto and whose ocular power is obviously worse than yours Sasuke, I think I will manage. I already left a note for Shikamaru and Kakashi to manage things here for a bit. Let's go."

Before Naruto and Sasuke could say anything more Izaya appeared before them and teleported them to a desolate wild area with no sign of life in sight. He then took his time to walk a few dozen paces away from Naruto and Sasuke before turning to face them, and with a simple hand gesture he said, "Whenever you both are ready. Come at me. And come at me with the intent to kill or you'll regret it."

Naruto and Sasuke just turned to each other with a complicated and slightly doubtful expression before they steeled their nerves and geared up for battle.

BAM!

In but a mere second both Sasuke and Naruto appeared on either side of Izaya as Naruto punched towards his face and Sasuke swiped at his feet. Without much concern at all Izaya simply extended out his left arm and caught Naruto's punch in his palm at the same time as he slightly shifted the position of his right foot to block Sasuke's sweep.

Tch! Tch!

The sound of Izaya effortlessly blocking their attacks instantly made Sasuke and Naruto realize the truth in just this one exchange as the same thought passed their mind. _We really have lost our touch! _

As Izaya stood in place still in the position of blocking Naruto and Sasuke's attacks he merely twitched a shoulder muscle causing Naruto and Sasuke to become alarmed and dash off to the sides to distance themselves, however Izaya simply placed his hand and foot back down and shook his head. "Shameful. Truly shameful. The Naruto and Sasuke I knew wouldn't have moved an inch from a mere shoulder twitch. It seems you both have been out of battle for so long you don't remember how to read the flow of a real fight." Izaya then smirked as a thought came across his mind to make Sasuke and Naruto truly take this fight seriously.

"Oi. Naruto. Sasuke. This is your last chance. Come at me for real. Stop playing around and worrying whether someone will get hurt. Sasuke, once upon a time you were known as The Dark Fire Shinobi! You were called Demon Eyed Sasuke! Naruto you were called The Demon Fox Shinobi! And you are the current Hokage of the Leaf! The 7th Hokage!" He then opened the palm of his hand revealing a silver bell as he said, "Remember this?"

Naruto and Sasuke flinched as they stared at the all too familiar silver bell in Izaya's hands. The same familiar bell that they had once tried to take from Kakashi-sensei when they were Genin. Izaya then continued, "I don't want to, however, if I must I'll bring out the bell. Don't tell me you've regressed back to the days when you were Genin?"

_Alright, looks like my plan is working. Bringing out the bell is practically mocking them in the face at how much they've regressed. With this they should no longer have any reservations about holding back. It's time to whip them back in shape. And this is actually great training for me as well. I don't know when I might have to face some overwhelmingly powerful opponent like the Otsutsuki clan members so getting to face off against Naruto and Sasuke will be good for me. _

After seeing the bell and hearing what Izaya had said Naruto immediately grinned and felt completely fired up as he no longer had any thoughts of holding back. The same was true for Sasuke as he immediately pulled out his sword of kusanagi and activated his Mangekyo and Rinnegan. Izaya smirked and nodded in approval as he noticed Naruto and Sasuke's newfound resolve and tossed the bell aside as he knew he wouldn't need it anymore. Just as the bell fell to the ground Naruto appeared right in front of Izaya in the blink of an eye completely covered in his chakra mode with his Six Paths power also activated. He threw a punch and then a kick followed by an elbow strike and a series of swipes, thrusts, uppercuts, sweeps, grapples, swings, holds, and gouges. Each of his attacks getting faster and more ferocious than the next, however Izaya expertly followed each and every one of Naruto's movements with his trained Rinnegan eyes allowing him to predict and counter Naruto's every move. It was then that Sasuke appeared behind Izaya whilst he was still engaged in a heated showdown of Taijutsu with Naruto and attacked as he expertly slashed, sliced, cut, stabbed, swept, scraped, diced, swiped, and lunged.

Izaya had been able to sense Sasuke's approach so he had pulled out one of his special kunai blocking and parrying Sasuke's attacks. Just as Izaya took note of Sasuke's sword stabbing towards his leg he expertly moved only as much as he needed to in order to sidestep and dodge Sasuke's attack, however this minimal movement of his prevented Naruto from noticing that while Sasuke's sword would miss Izaya, it was heading straight for his own leg.

Sasuke had used too much power in his thrust that he couldn't stop the momentum from moving forwards so he gritted his teeth and activated the power of his Rinnegan instantly replacing himself and his sword with a giant boulder. Izaya widened his eyes in surprise at Sasuke's move as the giant boulder appeared behind him hindering the space around him. This gave Naruto a chance as he shouted, "Bigball Rasengan!" However, Izaya simply smiled and let Naruto smash his giant Rasengan right into him as he dropped his kunai.

Naruto's grin at his success lasted only for a split second as he realized that Izaya was absorbing his attack with his Rinnegan powers so he immediately cancelled his Jutsu, but in the next moment Izaya gripped Naruto's arm that was still extended outwards and flung Naruto right into the giant boulder by them instantly smashing it to pieces. Sasuke had finally returned to rejoin the battle only for Izaya to shout, "Almighty Push!"

BOOM!

Both Naruto and Sasuke were flung through the air in opposite directions. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and noticed Izaya dash out towards Naruto so he stuck out his hand and shouted, "Universal Pull!" Izaya immediately felt his entire body get dragged through the air over towards Sasuke. Sasuke quickly steadied himself midair and gripped his sword of kusanagi tight in his hand as he prepared to strike. Izaya merely twisted his body in the air to reorient himself so he was facing Sasuke as he gripped the hilt of Muramasa. Just as they were both in range of each other's swords Sasuke slashed downwards, however he widened his eyes in shock as he felt an incredibly murderous aura erupt all around him. Almost as if he were surrounded by raging mad psychotic bloodthirsty beasts. That momentary shock slightly slowed his movements as Izaya unsheathed Muramasa and with a calm steady breath, said, "Kenjutsu: Shadowless." He then slashed out right at Sasuke's sword with a speed so fast that it left no shadow behind.

RRRRIIINNNGGG!

An ear deafening ringing sound could be heard the moment the two blades collided. The impact from Izaya's sword strike against Sasuke's sword not only sent Sasuke flying through the air, it had even completely shattered Sasuke's sword into pieces. Just before Sasuke was about to crash into a large boulder he activated his Susanoo's ribcage to surround and protect him.

BANG!

Instantly the boulder that Sasuke crashed into shattered to pieces from the force of the impact. Izaya slowly landed back on the ground at this moment sheathing his sword and quickly formed some hand signs saying, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof!

3 small puffs of smoke appeared around him revealing three crows with Rinnegan eyes. They quickly flew high into the air giving Izaya a complete view of the battlefield. He instantly saw Naruto flying through the air straight at him with incredible speed and took note of the Lava Style: Rasenshuriken in his hands. Just as Naruto threw it, Izaya quickly stuck out his palm and shouted, "Sun Sphere Beam!" Instantly a dazzling golden beam of dense chakra and chaotic elemental nature's swept through the air and struck Naruto's attack creating a giant blast of pure energy from the collision.

BOOOOM!

Naruto was forced to stop in his tracks so he wouldn't fly straight into the blast radius, however he ended up stopping close to where Izaya had left his kunai from earlier. Izaya instantly appeared behind Naruto and performed a roundhouse kick knocking Naruto right in the head. The kick sent him uncontrollably rolling through the air as Izaya then shouted, "Wood Style: Multi Wood Dragon Jutsu!" The ground shook as 10 giant wood dragons erupted from the earth. 5 aimed right for Naruto and the other 5 straight for Sasuke.

Naruto gritted his teeth and spun to stabilize himself in the air before immediately transforming into a giant Kurama using his tails to deflect the wood dragons. Sasuke instantly activated his Perfect Susanoo and with his two Susanoo blades he successfully destroyed the wood dragons aimed at him.

Izaya smirked and shouted, "Wood Style: Kanzeon Lotus King!" The ground trembled and shook as a giant wooden buddha appeared with 5 faces at the top of its head and a hundred arms behind its back. Izaya controlled the lotus king to engage Naruto's giant Kurama form in battle as he himself dashed straight for Sasuke activating his own Perfect Susanoo. At that moment two incredibly imposing and majestic Susanoo's stood opposite each other. One donned in radiant purple majesty and the other in abyssal dark glory. Without wasting any time for words both sides clashed reshaping the terrain with every move they made.

BOOOOM!

RIIIIP!

CRASH!

BAAANG!

The earth tore apart beneath them, the sky clouded over with chaotic storms, and the wind formed terrible tornadoes. At this moment Naruto frowned as the giant lotus king opened its mouth and blasted a series of all 5 different elemental Ninjutsus at him all at once. As Naruto used his tails to block the attack the lotus king swept out with all 100 wooden hands and smacked the giant Kurama Naruto crashing through the ground and flipping through the air towards Sasuke and Izaya. Just before Naruto's disoriented form could crash into Izaya, he instantly teleported away with his Flying Thunder God immediately dispelling his Susanoo. This shocked Sasuke as Naruto crashed into him instead.

BOOOOM!

The earth shook and quaked at their collision to the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth and shouted, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke nodded in understanding and replied, "Yeah!" Sasuke then placed his hands on Naruto's back immediately cloaking his Kurama form in armor as they both shouted, "Majestic Attire: Susanoo Nine Tails Mode!" In but a mere moment the form of a titanic resplendent Kurama donned in the purple armor of Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo stood with imposing might.

Izaya looked at the sight before him and stared in awe for he could feel just how incredibly powerful the technique Sasuke and Naruto were using.

_Mn. This is it. They've slowly been getting back their momentum. I probably won't have it that easy facing them next time now that they're back in the groove of things. _

Naruto looked down from the top of their technique and said, "Izaya! Thanks, you've helped Sasuke and I get back into shape, but maybe we should end things here."

Izaya simply smirked and shook his head as he replied, "It's fine. Perhaps I'll surprise you."

Naruto furrowed his brow but heard Sasuke say, "Do it, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath before controlling the giant Susanoo Kurama to grip the sword by its side and slash out immediately destroying the wooden lotus king which was just barely half its size. The force generated from this one single motion created a wind so powerful that Izaya was lifted off of the ground and sent rolling through the air uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and said, "What do you say Senko? Wanna stretch your wings?"

Inside Izaya's mental psyche Senko just let out a sigh and replied, "Oi, it took a long time for me to gather my chakra just so I could prepare to connect to another dimension for us to explore. If I lend you my power now I'd have to start over. It could take a few months before I'm ready to reconnect to a dimension. Are you sure you really want me to lend you my strength? This is just sparring isn't it? Besides, even if I lent you my strength so you could contend with their Jutsu it won't last very long. Furthermore you could already end this fight if you wanted to a long time ago. You marked Naruto multiple times during your exchange in hand to hand combat already didn't you? He didn't even notice. You could just teleport inside their Jutsu and call it a day."

Izaya smirked at Senko's remark. "Come on Senko. It won't be as fun then. Besides, even if it takes longer before we can travel to another dimension it's fine by me. I want to spend more time with my family anyways. I was already gone for a little over 2 months. I miss being with them."

Senko just let out a loud sigh. "Haaaa...Very well….I still think this is a waste of chakra." Senko grumbled towards the end.

This mental conversation happened very quickly as Izaya was still rolling through the air. He then curled his body into a ball and flipped backwards to reposition himself as he turned back to face Naruto and Sasuke, and in that moment Senko unleashed control of his power giving Izaya free reign.

ZIIIIIING!

A burst of majestic crimson aura erupted from Izaya's body as the cry of a loud phoenix could be heard resonating throughout the entire area. Izaya activated his Perfect Susanoo combining it with Senko's powerful chakra as he said, "Majestic Attire: Susanoo Vermillion Phoenix Mode!"

BOOOOOM!

In a mere instant the imposing form of a titanic black armored Susanoo wreathed in burning red crimson flames with giant red crimson wings on its back stepped onto the battlefield no smaller than Naruto and Sasuke's Majestic Attire: Susanoo Nine Tails Mode leaving both Naruto and Sasuke shocked to the extreme. Both sides felt their hearts beat uncontrollably in their chests as they instantly clashed in the center of the battlefield causing a chaotic destruction that seemed greater than even that of the 4th Great Ninja War...

Hours passed by as the sun was just about to disappear from the evening sky. Shikamaru and Kakashi were in the Hokage's office looking over some documents and talking amiably when they nearly had a heart attack. Out of nowhere and with no warning three shinobi instantly appeared inside the office. Their clothes were completely torn and tattered. Hair disheveled. Blood and dirt stains covered their bodies. And they smelled of sweat, iron, steam, and ash. They were precisely three of the world's most powerful shinobi. Izaya, Naruto, and Sasuke.

Shikamaru dropped the pen he was holding and Kakashi dropped the documents in his hands. The only sound was heavy panting as the three supreme shinobi huffed and puffed trying to catch their breath. Shikamaru was the first to snap out of his daze as he rushed to their side in alarm and stammered, "W-What the hell happened?! How did all THREE of you get like this? Was it the Otsutsuki clan? Did more of them somehow arrive on Earth without us knowing?"

While Shikamaru was panicking, Naruto, Sasuke, and Izaya simply laughed as Naruto finally said, "Ha-Hahahaha! Kurama and I haven't fought like that in ages! It seems I really have gotten rusty."

Sasuke also smirked and commented, "Yeah! Ever since Kaguya I don't think I've ever used my powers to that extent. But...Now I need to get another new sword."

Izaya rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and apologized, "Haha, sorry about that Sasuke. I didn't mean to shatter your sword."

Sasuke just shook his head. "It's fine. It's not like it'll be hard to replace. It'll just be a bit annoying because I'll have to visit Orochimaru to get a new one."

Shikamaru and Kakashi were completely baffled at the conversation they were hearing in front of them so Kakashi chimed in confusedly, "So...It wasn't the Otsutsuki clan?"

Naruto just shook his head amiably and replied, "Oh, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, you guys are still here. Right, we were just doing some training that's all."

Shikamaru and Kakashi just had their jaws drop in disbelief at their answer. Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders and gave a light stretch before beginning to walk out and said, "Well, I think you both have gotten at least a bit of your groove back so you should be fine going forward. Just remember that from now on you both shouldn't neglect your training. Besides, Naruto, even when I'm not around Haku still is. Pay him a visit sometimes. He still keeps up his training by visiting Kimimaro from time to time in Iwagakure. And Sasuke is traveling around so at least he's getting some experience while out in the world. AND, why does it feel like you're always in your office? You know I put a system in place so the Hokage doesn't have to be cooped up in here all the time right? Stop thinking that you have to do everything yourself. Break that bad habit of yours."

Just before Izaya was about to leave Naruto chimed in, "Izaya. Tomorrow at noon I'm holding a Five Kage Summit meeting at the ASF HQ. Since you're back then maybe you'd like to join us?"

Izaya thought about it for a moment before answering, "Does this have to do with what you and Sasuke were talking about previously before I came in?"

"Mn. It does. It's about the Otsutsuki clan."

Izaya let out a soft sigh. "Haaa...Very well. I'll tag along. Oh, by the way, what happened to all of Shin's clones?"

"Ah, I had Yamato and a team send them to the ASF HQ and placed under Kabuto's watch."

Izaya thought about what Naruto said for a moment before simply nodding his head. And with that he left the Hokage's office.

The next day the ASF HQ was filled with reporters and cameras as these journalists prepared to live broadcast the arrival of all 5 Kage to the rest of the world. Izaya stood off to the side hidden in the shadows as he watched this all play out and sighed to himself.

_The world's become modern so quickly. They remind me of my old world a bit. Well, no use in getting sentimental. Since I'm not the current Hokage I won't make a flashy entrance. But seriously, the P.R. trouble that we ninja have to go through. _

Izaya simply shook his head before dashing off inside where the meeting would be held. He sat down on one of the couches in the conference room and waited. The first to arrive was the 5th Raikage, Darui. Next was the 6th Mizukage, Chojuro. Then the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi. The 5th Kazekage, Gaara was after. And finally, last to appear was Naruto, the 7th Hokage. As they all took their respective seats around the round table as equals Shikamaru walked in and said, "Well, shall we get this meeting started?"

Gaara turned to look around the room and said, "6th Hokage, it's good to see you again. It's been awhile. How come I don't see Sasuke? Wasn't this meeting convened because there was something important to discuss in regards to his mission?"

Naruto chimed in at that moment. "Sasuke already left this morning. As you all already know we've been searching for clues regarding the Otsutsuki clan for many years." He then turned to Izaya and nodded, prompting Izaya to let out a sigh and say, "Well...like Naruto said. We've been searching for traces and clues of the Otsutsuki clan for many years. After I took up office as the 6th Hokage I had a feeling that Kaguya wasn't the only outworlder in the universe that might arrive on Earth. This theory was held true with the moon incident as I'm sure you all recall."

Chojuro nodded and commented, "Right. It was thanks to your action that the moon calamity was avoided, 6th Hokage."

Izaya nodded and continued, "Anyways Sasuke's been searching all this time on the whereabouts of Kaguya's base. This is only possible thanks to his Rinnegan. I too have been searching for traces of the Otsutsuki clan all this time and have been trying to gather as much information as I can to which I have already shared what I know with you all. Now according to Sasuke's findings it won't be long until other beings on the level of Kaguya, if not greater than her will appear in this world. The timeline isn't really specific, but it could be anytime from today to a few several years. The main point is that at most, it'll only be a few several years."

The room went silent for a few moments before all the Kage let out a sigh.

Chojuro frowned and said, "We may be at peace now, but the ravages of the 4th GNW haven't been completely erased. I don't think the people of the world can take another war on the scale of the last one. How are we to explain the situation to them?"

Kurotsuchi massaged her eyebrows as she commented, "This puts us in a tough spot."

Naruto then said with a look of determination, "The future ought to remain bright. That's what Sasuke said to me."

The Kage's just let out another sigh as they began to seriously think about the matter. Darui then chimed in, "So...6th Hokage, you say that these outworlders like Kaguya will most likely appear within our time huh? And in a mere few years at that...I suppose we'd still be around...however…"

Chojuro nodded in seriousness, "Agreed. I wonder how the next generation will fare...If we fail it may truly be the end."

Naruto frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Kurotsuchi just sighed and said, "Well, the generation after us don't know war. All they know is peace. And they are still young. First off, each village had lost nearly half of their military strength after the war. It takes a long time to try and recover from something like that. The new generation shinobi have filled those spots, but just how many can they fill in such a short amount of time? Not enough. Not only that, in times of peace the level of skill in the newer generation isn't as refined or polished. It was thanks to the 6th Hokage, Izaya who proposed a plan to fix this problem."

Darui nodded and commented, "Right. The Five Great Games! It was a great idea. With this plan in place it helped in many areas. First it helped increase and maintain the friendly relations between all the Great Nations. Second, it kept the Daimyo's occupied with something to look forward to. Something they could spend, waste, and invest their money in for entertainment so they wouldn't try to pressure nation's to go to war for resources or for material gains. Third, because the Five Great Games is held in a different village every two years it helps those village's increase their economic revenue. And finally Fourth, through this competition it would give the shinobi of each nation a reason and a platform to continue to hone and better their skills so they wouldn't remain dull."

Kurotsuchi nodded in agreement and added, "Izaya, your proposal was truly revolutionary, however the problem is that we've only had the chance to hold one competition in all these years. The reason is because it took us a long time to hash out the details of this plan. The very first of the Five Great Games competition was held just 5 months ago in Kirigakure. That means we have another two years before we host another one. Not enough time has passed yet for each nation to feel the positive effects of these games."

Gaara closed his eyes before chiming in, "Unreliable. Making a comparison of how one generation fairs to the next is unreliable. Which era and age did not make a comparison like that and have the results turn out much more different than they had expected? Just because we may not see it now does not mean that the next generation will not surpass us. What we should do and what we only need to do is continue to do our best to guide the new generation. And if this threat comes, then all we need to do is stake our lives on the line to protect that which we must. Just as we did in the 4th Great Ninja War."

At Gaara's words the atmosphere in the room changed to one of a more positive light as Izaya smirked and praised, "Well said Gaara!"

It was then that the Five Kage Summit was adjourned as everyone returned to their villages.


	5. Trip to the Hidden Mist Village

Chapter 5

_Time Skip 2 years _

As Iraia sat in class listening to Shino-sensei's lecture she couldn't help but wonder what Izaya was up to.

_I wonder where papa is this time? After he brought Zen back to the village he stayed here for a few days before taking Zen to explore the other villages and the continent. While papa was out with Zen he would teleport back home every few days to keep us company. This went on for a few weeks until he brought Zen back to the village. He and mom went on vacation for a month and when they got back papa helped watch over mine and Hiroshi's training. He helped Hiroshi improve his Taijutsu a little, but right now it's still hard to say whether he's better than Boruto or not. Papa also helped Hiroshi practice to better control his chakra usage when utilizing his Wood Style. Papa also helped me gain a deeper understanding of my Lava Style. I never knew there were so many different types of Lava Style, and by understanding the principles behind each Lava Style I can alter my chakra to match which form best suits the situation. Papa knows so much. I hope I can become a shinobi just like him one day. Papa actually decided to stay for a whole year this time when he came back! But after that papa left again on his mission. I don't know where he went but I hope he comes back soon._

Iraia was snapped out of her thoughts as Shino said, "Alright. Now this may be your final year here at the academy and you may only have a few months left but that doesn't mean you can slack off. Anyways, having said that I must say this. I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of you! As you all know during your last year at the academy you must pass a series of milestone exams before you can take the graduation exam such as the written knowledge test, walking on water and tree climbing test, and performing the Clone and Transformation Jutsu test. You all can take these as many times as you need and want to during your final year to help you pass, but already everyone in this class has already passed their milestone exams! That means you all qualify to take the Graduation exam. But! Like I said, just because you all are eligible to take the Graduation exam doesn't mean you can slack off. You must still attend classes and pay attention to the rest of your lessons."

Boruto smirked as he chimed in, "Easy peasy! Shino-sensei, since we all passed can't we do something fun instead? Sitting around in class all day is boring."

Shino just let out a sigh before saying, "Well...Actually there is something I need to tell you all. We are doing something that hasn't been done before. The academy is conducting a class field trip outside of the village to the Land of Water. So all of you need to exercise extreme precaution and be well behaved. After all, you all will be representing our village. Don't cause any trouble." Shino then turned to look toward Boruto and Hiroshi and said, "Really. ABSOLUTELY don't cause any trouble. PLEASE."

Boruto and Hiroshi just turned to look at each other and smirked.

Shino sighed and continued, "If anything does happen, you all can consider the trip cancelled and we will return back to Konoha early. Now...It's time to select a class leader for this field trip. Any volunteers?"

The classroom was completely silent as no one looked Shino in the eyes. Shino just sighed. "No one huh?"

At this moment everyone had the same thought. _Please don't be me! Please don't pick me! _

Sarada broke the silence first as she raised her hand and said, "Shino-sensei, I think Uzumaki Boruto would be a good leader for our class trip."

At that moment Shikadai widened his eyes in surprise at Sarada's quick thinking and said, "Oh, sensei I agree! I think Boruto would be a great class leader!"

Boruto widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. Just as he was going to say something he was cut off as Hiroshi said, "Yeah! I think Boruto would make a great class leader! He's cheerful and has a lot of energy! He's easily likeable and he's skillful! He'd be perfect!"

The last person Boruto had thought would nominate him was Hiroshi so he stared at Hiroshi with complete and utter shock and confusion. Hiroshi just smiled mischievously at Boruto's reaction. _Heh. Sorry Boruto but I understand what Sarada and Shikadai are doing. Since you and I kind of get into trouble a lot they want to nominate you as leader so you won't go off on your own doing something crazy. If I don't nominate you then they might try to nominate me! I'm not trying to be in charge of this class of misfits. Too much work._

It wasn't long before everyone in the class agreed to naming Boruto as the class leader so Shino nodded and agreed. Boruto just stared in disbelief at everyone completely defeated. Class ended right after as Boruto and the others walked around the village. Shikadai broke the silence and commented, "Kirigakure is a rural place I hear. I wonder if there'll be anything to do over there."

Boruto just smirked. "Heh. Don't worry about stuff like that. Since you all nominated me as class leader you all better listen to me. Besides, with me around I'll liven things up no matter what the situation!"

Sarada looked doubtful as she interjected, "Liven things up? Hmpf. You're more likely to stir up trouble. Don't tell me that's how you plan to liven things up?"

Boruto's eyelid twitched in annoyance at Sarada's remark. "Oi, have some faith in me will ya?"

Iwabe simply clicked his tongue. "Tch. Don't get all carried away. Don't you know? Kirigakure used to be called the Blood Mist Village. There's nothing good about the place."

Hiroshi tilted his head to the side and thought for a moment before responding, "True...But that was all in the past. My dad took me to visit Kirigakure a long long time ago so I don't really remember what it was like, but according to my dad Kirigakure is pretty modern now. He says it's actually very pretty there. In fact if I think about it two years ago the Five Great Games were held in Kirigakure."

Boruto gave a confused look and asked, "Five Great Games? What's that?"

Shikadai gave a thoughtful look before saying, "It's a friendly competition hosted by the Five Great Nations that lasts for 7 days. Apparently only Jonin and Chunin can enter the competition and they must be entered as a team. In a single team there will be one Jonin and three Chunin. Just like a four man cell. At most only 3 teams can be entered at a time from a single nation. It also isn't limited to just the Five nations. Any nation can enter a team as long as they officially register a valid team before the deadline. Those that register must sign their name in blood on a contract in order to participate in the games. The competition is made up of 5 total games. Every registered member is given a reverse summoning tag so that if they wish to quit or if they feel that their life is in danger then they can activate it and escape. That's why they must sign their name in blood on a contract before they can participate. If memory serves I believe a team from Kirigakure won the very first Five Great Games competition."

After hearing what Shikadai said everyone started thinking to themselves as they were immediately intrigued about the games. Mitsuki chimed in at this moment, "The Games sound interesting, but how come I don't really hear anything about it?"

Shikadai rubbed the bottom of his chin as he said, "Well, from what I know only 1 official Game has been held so far. It's a new thing that the Five Great Nations are working on. The Games are only held every 2 years so back then we weren't really paying much attention to it since we had school and stuff to focus on. But if I remember correctly my dad said that it was Lord 6th Hokage who invented the Games."

"EEEHHHH?" Everyone exclaimed with surprise. Even Hiroshi didn't know that his dad was the one who created the games. Boruto had a thoughtful look as he said, "Uncle Izaya did huh? Sounds like uncle Izaya did a lot of amazing stuff during his time as the Hokage."

At that moment the familiar voice of Shikamaru could be heard. "Of course Lord 6th did amazing things during his reign as Hokage. After the 4th Great Ninja War every village lost half of its military strength. Economic output and input was at an all time record low. The infrastructure of the village was in shambles. And practically each of the Five Great Nations were left in ruin. It was thanks to Lord 6th's leadership that allowed the village to not only stabilize, but to prosper. He created the current education system that we have here in Konoha which all the other Five Great Nations have now adopted the same or a similar curriculum. He was also the one to solidify the foundations of the ASF HQ. And finally, before he stepped down from his position as the Hokage he created the system of the Five Great Games. It pays to know your history you know."

Boruto was unknowingly intrigued, but in the end he awkwardly scratched the side of his face thinking to himself. _Ehhh...If uncle Izaya did all that while he was the Hokage then I wonder what dad has done as the Hokage? _

Everyone was snapped out of their thoughts as Shikamaru mumbled something about being late and dashed off. Shikadai just stared awkwardly at his dad's retreating form in the distance and Hiroshi turned to look at his dad's face on the cliffside of Konoha in deep thought.

_Dad. I knew you were awesome, but everytime I learn more about you it just seems like you get more awesome. How am I supposed to catch up at this point? Seems I need to train harder. Even though dad helped watch over my training I need to try even harder! I only have good control over one of my Kekkei Genkais right now. If I want to be as awesome as dad then I have to work on controlling my other Kekkei Genkais too!_

The next day everyone boarded the train from Konoha that led them out of the village and all the way down to the portside of the ocean where they all took a giant ferry heading towards Kirigakure. As everyone was off doing their own things Iraia, Sarada, Chocho, and Sumire stood on the edge of the rails taking in the beautiful sight of the ocean. Sarada took in a deep breath and relished the feel of the ocean breeze on her skin. "Amazing isn't it?"

As Chocho ate her chocolate bar she responded, "What is?"

"Beyond this ocean are several other lands and villages."

Sumire nodded. "It's hard to imagine. I wonder what the other lands are like."

A moment of silence passed in peaceful silence between them all before Chocho said, "Eh? Wait, Sarada, Iraia, don't both of your dad's travel around the world alot? They must have told you what kinds of places they've been to right? Give us some details."

Sarada furrowed her brows a bit as she thought about it but in the end she shook her head and replied, "Papa doesn't say too much about it. What about you, Iraia? Does Lord 6th say anything about the places he's been to?"

Iraia simply nodded her head. "Papa has told me a little bit about the places he's gone. He says that the other Great Villages have become more modern and developed like Konoha, but they each have something different to offer. Papa also said that in this world there are two great continental divides. The divide we live on and the divide on the other side of the world. Our continent is called the Six Paths continent and the other one is called the Sage continent."

Sarada, Chocho, and Sumire widened their eyes in great shock at the revelation that there was actually an entirely different continent and it was on the other end of the world. Sumire looked on with great interest and asked, "Then, Lord 6th has been there before. To the Sage continent. What did he say it was like?"

Iraia slightly flinched as she momentarily remembered her experience when she visited as a child, but she quickly shook it off and said, "Papa says that it's a very wild and dangerous place. The natural energy on that continent runs wild and so it experiences many different kinds of natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and more. On top of that these natural disasters are much more powerful there than here due to the wild natural energies fueling them. There are people who are native to those lands that live there as well, but their lands and villages and towns aren't modernized like over here."

It was then that Boruto walked over and interrupted. "Oh? What are you guys doing over here? Sounds like you guys are talking about something interesting."

Sarada smirked and said, "Heh. What's wrong? Came to join us cause we're more fun to hang around than the guys huh? Well, too bad, girls only."

Boruto gave a deadpan expression at Sarada's comment. "Oi, I was just curious. I overheard Iraia say something interesting that's all."

"Heh, so you were eavesdropping then."

"AH! I was not! You guys were just talking too loud that's all."

"Well, you can go away now."

Boruto smirked. "I want to look at the ocean from the deck too you know."

Sarada just smiled and turned back to look at the ocean when Boruto remarked, "You've been pretty spirited lately."

Sarada fixed her glasses and responded, "What, is that a problem?"

"No, it's totally fine. You know I'm not interested in becoming Hokage."

"You're the only one in the entire village who can't see how great Lord 7th is."

"Heh. And I'm the only one who sees how much of a loser he is." He then turned towards Sarada and Iraia. "I hear people say that your dad was incredibly strong. I also heard people say that uncle Izaya was super strong. Isn't that way cooler than trying to be Hokage?"

Sarada smiled. "We aren't talking about my dad. And besides, aren't you forgetting that your uncle was the 6th Hokage? Besides, I want to become a shinobi like Lord 6th and 7th!"

Boruto simply gave a disinterested look. "Eh...really? Well, what about you, Iraia?"

Iraia simply stared at the ocean in silence for a moment before answering, "I want to be a shinobi as great as papa one day." Boruto raised his eyebrow in wonderment.

"Then...does that mean you also want to become Hokage one day?"

Iraia shook her head. "No. I'm not interested in something like that. I just want to become a shinobi like papa."

Boruto just scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Hmmm...that seems a bit confusing to understand. But I suppose."

Sarada smirked. "Hmpf. A boy like you obviously wouldn't understand."

Boruto furrowed his brow. "And you do? Why'd you nominate me for class leader anyways?"

"So that you wouldn't run off on your own causing trouble for the entire class. That way we can all have fun on this trip."

"Ah! That's underhanded!"

As Boruto and Sarada dashed around in playful arguing banter Chocho, Iraia, and Sumire just stood on the side watching in awkward amusement. Day turned to night and night into day again as the ferry finally reached Kirigakure. As everyone lined up in front of Shino and Anko who were the two supervisors from Konoha for the trip Shino said, "Alright everyone lineup and stick together. Our guide from the Hidden Mist will arrive shortly.

As if on cue a handsome shinobi with short messy gray hair parted to the side of his face clad in black pants, striped purple shirt, green long-sleeved vest, black gloves, and a wooden katana strapped to his waist approached as he said, "Welcome everyone, to Kirigakure. I'll be your guide for the duration of the trip. My name is Kagura. Karatachi Kagura."

Many of the girls in the class were immediately infatuated with Kagura as Anko whispered, "He's a close aide of the 6th Mizukage. He's only a few years older than you all and a candidate to be the next Mizukage."

Immediately Shikadai narrowed his eyes as he was staring at the familiar face of Kagura, but he couldn't remember where he saw him. Then it hit him. "Oh?"

Hiroshi and Boruto noticed Shikadai's reaction and asked, "What?"

Shikadai simply responded, "I've seen him before on TV. He's part of the team from Kirigakure who won the very first ever Five Great Games competition."

"EEHHH?" Boruto and Hiroshi exclaimed with shock. At that moment Kagura walked up to Boruto and Hiroshi and said, "I'm very honored to be the one to welcome both the son of the legendary Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage, and the son of the legendary Karasuma Izaya, the 6th Hokage. Oh, and of course your classmates!" He then bowed making both Boruto and Hiroshi feel awkward. But it was then that Kagura took note of Iraia's presence hidden behind everyone else and instantly widened his eyes in shock.

_W-Who's that? She's beautiful! W-Wait! That's the daughter of the 6th Hokage! How could I have missed her! I accidentally greeted only Boruto and Hiroshi and failed to properly greet the daughter of someone as esteemed as her! I made a fool of myself. How will Lord Chojuro see me? No...How will she see me?..._

Kagura quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he walked over to Iraia and knelt before her. "My apologies. I failed to properly greet you. It is a great honor to be the one to welcome you to Kirigakure. If I am not mistaken then you are the daughter of the 6th Hokage correct?"

Everyone in the class turned to look at the scene and was instantly at a loss for words. Even Iraia didn't expect this. She didn't care that Kagura had not greeted her earlier. In fact, with the way he greeted people she would have preferred Kagura to not greet her. She thought his greeting was a bit excessive towards Boruto and Hiroshi, but now she was completely dumbfounded because he took his excessive greeting even one step further towards her. A few moments of silence passed through the area in awkwardness before Iraia simply nodded.

"A pleasure."

She then slowly walked around Kagura and over to Sarada and Chocho with an expressionless face. Boruto nudged Hiroshi in the shoulders and whispered, "Umm...Hiroshi, shouldn't you say something?"

Hiroshi just awkwardly scratched the back of his head and coughed. "Ahem." He then walked behind Kagura and slapped him on the back amiably shocking Kagura out of his nervous state and said, "Well Kagura, it's uh...It's nice to meet you! I'm Hiroshi. That was my twin sister Iraia. Don't mind her. So, wanna show us around?"

Kagura breathed out a sigh of relief as he was momentarily saved from his act of foolishness and nodded. "Right, let me take you all around Kirigakure." As Kagura showed everyone a bit of the village it wasn't long before everyone went off to explore on their own. Sarada witnessed Iwabe walk off on his own and frowned as she immediately had a bad feeling so she lectured Boruto and Denki to go find him. As Hiroshi was walking around he noticed that Boruto, Denki, and Iwabe were nowhere to be seen so he ran off to find them. Just as he turned a corner behind the dark alley of some buildings he caught sight of the three of them standing off to the side as two Hidden Mist shinobi were walking away. He simply tilted the side of his head confused and ran up to them. "Hey, Boruto, Denki, Iwabe, what are you guys doing in an alley like this?"

Boruto just scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Nothing. Iwabe took off on his own so we went to get him. Anyways, let's just go back."

Hiroshi could only shrug at his cousin's answer.

The next day everyone was introduced to the previous 5th Mizukage, Terumi Mei. And they were also introduced to the current 6th Mizukage Chojuro as Chojuro began to give a long lecture of introductions and welcome. It wasn't long after Kagura took them around the village again. This time he took them to take a look at the academy of the village. As everyone stood on the balcony they watched as a large pool of water filled the surface below while several academy students sparred with wooden swords in hand. Hiroshi and Iraia looked on with great interest as Hiroshi thought about his own dad's sword skills.

_Dad is always carrying around that katana he calls Muramasa by his side with him. I asked dad about it before but he just says that it's an incredibly dangerous weapon that requires absolute focus and skill to handle. Dad said that he would never unsheathe his blade in the presence of the villagers. Something about the sword having its own unique aura that could put the innocent in harm's way. I once asked dad if I could hold it which he let me. But for some reason I could never unsheathe the blade from its hilt. One thing is for certain though, dad once showed me his skill with the sword and it left me speechless. I couldn't even see how he cut the tree before it was already cut. They say that Kirigakure is the birthplace of the 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and that they all wielded incredible power being strong enough to destroy an entire nation. They also say that the 6th Mizukage is one of these swordsmen and wields the great blade Hiramekarei. I wonder how the Mizukage's sword skills compare to dad's? _

At that moment Hiroshi was brought out of his thoughts as Chojuro appeared out of nowhere and said, "So, what do you all think?"

Asuka turned around at this moment and replied, "Pretty good. Konoha has a really good Taijutsu curriculum but our Kenjutsu curriculum isn't as good as this."

Boruto nodded in agreement. "Right! It looks pretty cool!"

Chojuro smiled. "Would you like to try?"

Boruto grinned excitedly, "Would that be alright?!"

Chojuro simply nodded. "Kagura, please be his sparring partner."

Kagura had a complicated expression on his face as he replied, "Are you sure?"

Once again Chojuro nodded. "You're both shinobi. To become friends it's not bad to know each other's strengths."

Hiroshi grumbled at this moment. "Aww man...I wanted to spar."

Boruto simply smirked in victory. "Heh, better luck next time Hiroshi." However, Chojuro interjected. "That might be possible. Kagura, what do you say? Are you okay with taking on both Boruto and Hiroshi in a spar at the same time?"

"EEEHHHH?!" Boruto and Hiroshi exclaimed in shock.

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't mind going after." Hiroshi commented.

Kagura took a moment to think it over as he carefully studied both Boruto and Hiroshi before nodding his head. "Very well. It would be my honor to take you both on."

Boruto and Hiroshi could only glance at each other and shrug their shoulders as they and Kagura made their way down to the training arena. Inojin commented at this very moment on the balcony, "That Kagura guy seems pretty confident. Taking on both Boruto and Hiroshi."

Shikadai quickly replied, "Didn't you hear what I said before? Kagura was part of the team that took first place in the Five Great Games. That means his skills aren't anything to laugh at."

At that moment Boruto and Hiroshi stood opposite of Kagura on the water's surface as they each held a wooden katana in their hand. Immediately they all took up their prospective sword stance, however at this moment Kagura narrowed his eyes in focus and surprise as he noted the difference between Boruto and Hiroshi.

_That's interesting. Boruto's sword stance shows that he's not trained in Kenjutsu, however Hiroshi's sword stance shows that he is. That means I need to be more careful against Hiroshi. _

Chojuro gave the signal to start, but all three of them remained standing completely still as they each tried to find an opening to attack. As Boruto frowned and struggled to find a weakness in Kagura's stance Hiroshi quickly calmed his mind and thought back to the basic movements Izaya had taught him in Kenjutsu. While he knew Kenjutsu wasn't his greatest skill, he was still trained in it and familiar with it nonetheless.

Boruto couldn't take it anymore and simply charged forward as he splashed the water in front of Kagura to block his view before dashing to the side and swung his sword. Kagura moved back and repositioned his body so Boruto was in his view at the same time ensured that he wouldn't lose sight of Hiroshi. He then expertly parried, countered, and disarmed Boruto's katana from him. Boruto held his hands up in complete defeat as he remarked, "Aw man! You totally got me. You're strong, Kagura."

However, Kagura remained silent as his grip tightened on his sword for a moment. The blood raging through him as a hidden bloodlust behind his sword strike welled up inside. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes as he didn't miss the hidden bloodlust behind Kagura's sword, but in the end saw that Kagura controlled it and calmed down. Kagura then turned his attention to Hiroshi and asked, "Why did you not attack together with Boruto?"

Hiroshi smirked. "That would be dishonorable. You may be strong, but we aren't enemies. There's no need to resort to exploiting tricks and cheap tactics just to give us the edge. Since Boruto's out it's just you and me."

Kagura narrowed his eyes in focus as he and Hiroshi stared at each other creating a formless pressure in the atmosphere. After a few seconds passed between them Hiroshi dashed forward and swung his sword downwards. Kagura defended with his own sword and used it to parry Hiroshi's attack before counter striking with a stab at Hiroshi's chest. Hiroshi expertly sidestepped and used his katana to knock Kagura's sword to the side before stabbing at kagura's neck. This forced Kagura to tilt his head to the side to dodge and duck below Hiroshi's sword as he swept at Hiroshi's feet with his katana. Hiroshi quickly jumped in the air and performed a backflip arriving behind Kagura as he slashed downwards at Kagura's head. Kagura quickly raised his katana behind him blocking Hiroshi's attack before knocking Hiroshi's blade off balance. This forced Hiroshi to loosen his grip on his katana allowing Kagura to put some force into his swing and knocked the katana out of Hiroshi's hands ending the match.

Kagura's eyes trembled as it seemed to reflect a desire for blood. His breathing grew rapid as his chest rose and fell itching to do more than spar. However, as he turned to look at Hiroshi and Boruto his senses quickly came back to him and he reigned in his emotions.

Chojuro nodded in approval before he declared the match over. Kagura put his wooden sword away as they all walked back. He then praised, "That was a great fight. You both were quite skilled. Boruto, your feint attack shows that you're incredibly creative and intuitive in battle. And Hiroshi, your skills with the blade are quite excellent. I'm sure many of the students at this academy would struggle against you in Kenjutsu. If Ninjutsu had been allowed then I may have lost."

Boruto just shrugged and replied, "Heh, sure sure, your facial expression shows that it didn't take much effort at all."

Everyone took a break after and explored the beach and the village some more before night fell where they all had to return to their hotel rooms. It was then that Hiroshi frowned and looked at Boruto, Inojin, Shikadai, and Mitsuki. "Oi, have you guys seen Denki? I haven't seen him for awhile."

They all looked at each other confused but a loud splashing noise hit their window at that moment. Boruto frowned as he opened the curtains to reveal a giant splatter of blood as it formed a message which Boruto read aloud. "We have your friend. If you want him back then come to pier number 4."

Hiroshi frowned. "They kidnapped Denki?! What for?"

Boruto snarled, "Damn it!"

It was at that moment that Kagura walked in to check up on them and saw the message. "W-What have they done!"

Boruto turned to ask, "Just who are they?"

Kagura frowned. "It's Hachiya Tsurushi. He was a Genin in my class back in the academy. He hates the fact that our village has turned into a major tourist destination."

Boruto frowned. "Let's go save Denki."

Kagura shook his head. "No, we should first inform Lord 6th Mizukage."

Boruto disagreed. "No, if we do that our trip will be cancelled. We can't ruin the trip for everyone."

Mitsuki chimed at that moment. "Hey, aren't you strong Kagura? If you help us out we should be able to solve this without any help from the adults." Kagura turned his head in contemplation.

"But-" Before he could finish Hiroshi cut him off. "Let's not turn this into a huge commotion. Denki is our friend so we need to go save him. But if we go to the 6th Mizukage for this then it's likely going to turn into a village wide search and everyone will know about this incident. That could have some sort of political ramifications between the Leaf and the Mist. Besides, it seems these guys are targeting us. That's why they kidnapped Denki and sent us this message. If we fight it out and end up getting caught, if we play our cards right we can just turn it into us kids as having a squabble. But if the adults get involved then it becomes a much bigger deal."

Kagura furrowed his brow to think about it for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. I'll lend you guys my aid."

Kagura, Mitsuki, Boruto, Inojin, Iwabe, Shikadai, and Hiroshi soon made their way to pier number 4 as the message instructed. It wasn't long before a group of Mist shinobi turned up along with a tied up Denki. Boruto frowned and yelled, "Let Denki go!"

A Mist shinobi with blond puffy hair who happened to be the shinobi Kagura talked about, Hachiya, simply smirked and replied, "Oh? Sure sure as long as you all get on the floor and bow down obediently."

Kagura frowned. "Hachiya, what's the point of all this."

Hachiya smirked. "Heh, stay out of it Kagura. You lapdog for the Leaf. This is a war between us and the Leaf shinobi."

Inojin just gave a doubtful look as if he were staring at idiots. "A war? In this day and age? That's a bit far fetched don't you think?"

Hachiya smiled sinisterly. "We'll teach you to fear the shinobi of the Blood Mist Village!" He then formed some hand signs and shouted, "Crimson Mist Barrier Jutsu!" Instantly the area became completely surrounded in thick fog blocking the view of all those on the outside as Hachiya said mockingly, "Now no one will be able to see and come help you all. Hahahaha!"

Hiroshi smiled and stepped forward. "Who says that we need help from anyone? We're more than enough to take you lot on."

Boruto smirked and nodded. "Yeah! This is actually convenient for us. If others were to find out we were causing trouble that'd be a problem for us. Your barrier is actually helping us out. Thanks!"

At that moment all the Mist shinobi began their attack, however Hiroshi and the others easily defended and started making quick work of them. It wasn't long before all the Mist shinobi were defeated and they were able to free Denki.

"Denki! You okay?" Boruto questioned.

"Mn." Denki replied.

Mitsuki simply stretched his arms and commented, "These were Mist Genin? Their skills were subpar at best."

The rest of the night went on without incident, but that night solidified Kagura's newfound resolve to take up the test for becoming an official member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist as the master of the great blade Hiramekarei. As the next day rolled around Hiroshi decided to simply relax and enjoy the ocean air as he laid down on a couch situated on the hotel balcony. Iraia joined him as she sat on a chair reading a book. They both didn't feel like walking around the village today so they simply lazed the day away, however, as night time fell they caught sight of Boruto, Sarada, and the 6th Mizukage Chojuro sneaking away into the night and off into the distance. Completely intrigued Hiroshi was just about to follow them when Iraia chimed in, "Hiroshi!"

Hiroshi smirked mischievously and replied, "Come on Iraia! I know you're just as curious as I am. You know Boruto, it's probably something troublesome. But you also know Sarada. If she's tagging along then you know it's probably serious. What if they need our help? Let's at least go take a look. Besides, even the 6th Mizukage is going. What would require the Mizukage's attention that he would tag along with Boruto and Sarada?"

Iraia frowned and thought for a moment but let out a sigh. "Fine."

Hiroshi grinned at his success in convincing his sister and dashed off following close behind Boruto's trail while Iraia simply followed. It wasn't long before they discovered Boruto and Sarada as well as Chojuro by a large memorial obelisk containing the names of the notable fallen shinobi of the Hidden Mist. They also took note of 7 Mist shinobi wielding the 7 great swords of the Hidden Mist. At that moment Boruto widened his eyes in shock as he exclaimed, "Hiroshi? Iraia? What are you two doing here?"

Hiroshi smirked, "What? You were going to have all the fun for yourself? Save some for me."

Boruto simply grinned. "Heh. Well we were just getting started."

Iraia stared at the 7 Mist shinobi opposite them and asked, "Who are they?"

Chojuro simply sighed at the appearance of Iraia and Hiroshi, but remembered what Boruto said saying how if they treat this as a squabble between kids then they could avoid major political ramifications. He then answered Iraia's question. "Those 7 are Mist shinobi who don't agree with Kirigakure's current way of life. Their names are Hoshigaki Shizuma, Fuefuki Kyoho, Hebiichigo, Kurosuki Buntan, Oniyuzu Ichirota, and Onomichi Hassaku."

Iraia tilted her head a bit confused as she asked, "Then...How come Kagura is with them?"

Kagura flinched when he heard Iraia's question and felt extremely conflicted at that moment. He couldn't help but feel his emotions slightly stir from hearing Iraia's voice, however Shizuma interrupted at this moment and shouted, "So, not only the son of the 7th Hokage, but the son and daughter of the 6th Hokage have come! Well then this is the perfect opportunity! We'll begin our revolution by killing the children of both Hokage's!" He then proceeded to activate the Crimson Mist Barrier creating a thick fog in the area.

Without missing a beat the 7 Mist shinobi attacked splitting up Iraia, Hiroshi, Boruto, Sarada, and Chojuro.

At this moment Iraia stood perfectly still and completely calm as someone approached her. It was precisely Shizuma. He stood before her smirking sinisterly and said, "Well. I never knew that the daughter of the 6th Hokage was so beautiful. It's almost a shame that I have to kill you. How about it, become mine. I can grant you anything you want."

Iraia kept her expressionless face as she stared at Shizuma and the sword he carried and commented, "That blade. If I'm not mistaken it's the great sword Samehada."

Shizuma slightly frowned at the fact that Iraia ignored his proposal. He scoffed and replied, "You know your stuff. That's right. This is Samehada. This is your last chance. Come join me. Stay by my side. You're a rare beauty after all. And being the daughter of the 6th Hokage surely you're a rare talent as well. It'd be a waste for you to die here."

Once again Iraia ignored him. Shizuma immediately widened his eyes in shock and surprise as he stared at the changes that happened to Iraia. At that moment Iraia had activated her Byakugan in her right eye and her Sharingan in her left eye. Shizuma narrowed his eyes in complete focus as he finally realized that the beautiful girl in front of him was no pushover. With Iraia's Byakugan she easily saw through the fog and took notice of everyone's situation. Boruto was engaging Kagura in combat, Chojuro was being held up and having a discussion with Kyoho, Hebiichigo, and Hassaku, Sarada was locked in combat against Buntan, and Hiroshi stood face to face against Ichirota.

Shizuma frowned and shouted, "If you won't come with me willingly, then perhaps I'll just force you!" He then dashed at her with a crazy expression on his face and slashed Samehada right at her, however Iraia saw this coming thanks to her Byakugan and Sharingan and expertly shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Before Samehada could make contact with her she blew it away with a powerful air thrust. This left Shizuma's body vulnerable to an attack as Iraia expertly performed a quick spin and struck out with her palm. Shizuma widened his eyes in complete shock at this unexpected turn of events and quickly shouted, "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!" From his mouth he expelled a powerful water bullet straight at Iraia to which she quickly paused in her attack and dashed to the side successfully avoiding the attack.

Shizuma frowned in seriousness and remarked, "You dodged that at near point blank range. Your Taijutsu skills are greatly superior to anyone I've seen before. Your Sharingan lets you see the most minute of movements and helps you predict the trajectory of an attack and your Byakugan lets you have a near perfect 360 degree view around you. In essence, should one fight you simply using Taijutsu then they would indefinitely lose. I have to hand it to you. Not only are you a rare beauty, you really are a rare talent. Indeed worthy of being the daughter of the 6th Hokage."

Iraia frowned at Shizuma's statement and replied, "You have no right to speak about papa as if you know him. But if you admire my skills so much then I'll show you just how skillful I am. Everything I know was taught to me by papa. We'll see just how much longer you can keep that smug look on your face."

Shizuma simply grinned in excitement as he and Iraia re-enganged in a fierce battle.

Meanwhile Hiroshi was facing off against the Mist shinobi Ichirota who was utilizing the explosive great sword Shibuki. Just as Hiroshi backflipped away from Ichirota his sword smashed the ground causing a giant explosion. Ichirota smirked and said, "Heh! Hahahaha! Kid, give up! You're outmatched."

Hiroshi just sighed to himself. _This guy uses the sword to produce explosions. It's got a bunch of explosive tags in it. What a pain. I could do the same thing you bastard! If I trained more in my Kekkei Genkai that is._

Just as Ichirota rushed forwards with his sword Hiroshi simply smirked and said, "You should never underestimate your opponent you know. Especially me! Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Several large wood tendrils erupted from the ground beneath Ichirota immediately halting him in his tracks and caused alarm bells to go off in his head. Before he could get ensnared he smashed his sword downwards blowing up the wood tendrils and then dashed backwards to create some distance.

"Y-You possess the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai?"

Hiroshi just smirked, "What's wrong? What happened to all your bluster?"

Ichirota frowned and slowly stepped backwards disappearing into the fog. Hiroshi smirked at Ichirota's move.

_Heh. Man did you make a mistake trying to hide in the fog. I told you not to underestimate me._

Without waiting for Ichirota to make a move Hiroshi quickly activated his Byakugan which appeared on his left eye and easily saw through the fog. He spotted Ichirota in the distance and grinned as he formed the Ram and Snake hand signs shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" Instantly a small garden of wooden vines, small trees, and bushes erupted from the ground as they hindered Ichirota's movements. The bushes, small trees, and vines easily restricted Ichirota's movements before finally capturing him in a tight hold. Hiroshi grinned at his success and quickly formed the Snake sign saying, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" A wooden snake dashed out from his arm with great speed and easily wrapped around Ichirota before biting into his arm forcing him to release his hold on the Shibuki blade and also suppressed his ability to mold chakra.

Ichirota remained completely ensnared and baffled as he struggled to speak. "H-How? How did you find me through the fog? W-What is this Jutsu? Why can't I mold chakra?"

It was then that Hiroshi revealed himself and walked up to Ichirota showing off his Byakugan. "Obviously I saw you with my Byakugan. No matter how thick the fog, don't underestimate the power of my Byakugan. As for my little garden, it's not even close to what my dad can do. I still don't have enough chakra so this is my version of dad's Deep Forest Emergence technique. And my wooden snake. Heh, dad taught me this one. You see while I may not have enough chakra for the wood dragon or even the powerful wood snake that my dad can use, I can make a small scale version of the wood snake. It's one of my most powerful tools in my arsenal meant to suppress my enemies chakra. As long as they don't possess overwhelming chakra it gets the job done. Not bad huh?"

He then turned to look with his Byakugan at how the others were doing.

Bang! Boom! Bam!

Iraia was still currently engaged in battle against Shizuma as she dodged, parried, struck, and countered against his ferocious attacks. She performed a flip in the air and expertly dodged a water Ninjutsu attack of his at that moment before quickly landing on the ground.

_Tsk. He's got way more chakra than I do. He's physically stronger than I am but he's slower than me. My Taijutsu is better than him but he won't engage me in close quarter combat. Plus, that blade of his is Samehada. He already unsealed it from its cloth form and that blade absorbs chakra. If I get hit or grazed by it like earlier then it'll just make him more powerful. I suppose Ninjutsu won't really work against him. I can't fight him for too long or else both my Byakugan and Sharingan will drain all of my chakra reserves. I'll need to trap him, slow his movements, and disarm that blade from his hands. That means I need a Jutsu that'll be difficult for him to absorb. And I know just the one thanks to papa's training. _

At that moment Shizuma pointed Samehada right at her as it shot out from its hilt at great speed with its sharp teeth and mouth wide open trying to eat her. With her Sharingan she expertly dodged at just the last second and threw out several shuriken at Shizuma. Shizuma grinned and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A giant burst of water gushed out of the ground beneath him and intercepted the shuriken, however Iraia was inwardly elated at her success and quickly formed the hand signs of Hare, Ox, Dog, and Snake shouting, "Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu!" She quickly spit out a cement like sticky substance missing on purpose as it landed a few feet behind Shizuma.

Shizuma laughed and commented, "What was that? I admit I was extremely shocked just now. Not only do you possess the Byakugan and Sharingan, you can even perform the Lava Style Kekkei Genkai. But it seems you need more practice. Your aim isn't very good."

Iraia simply kept her expressionless face as she commented, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Immediately Shizuma noticed that he was fooled and caught in a trap. The cement like substance Iraia had used mixed with the water that had pooled around him when he activated his Water Style. The water helped spread the cement further and had now completely covered his feet making it extremely difficult for him to lift his foot to move. Just as Shizuma was momentarily distracted at what was happening beneath him Iraia didn't miss this chance of opportunity and shouted, "Lava Style: Rubber Rope!" Instantly a long tan colored rubbery rope wrapped around the hilt of Samehada and tore it from Shizuma's hands causing him to widen his eyes in shock. Without missing a beat Iraia formed the hand signs of Ox, Dog, and Snake and shouted, "Lava Style: Rubber Seal!" She took a deep breath and spewed out a mass of tan rubbery liquid that covered Shizuma's entire body effectively trapping him inside a rubbery net. Just as she finished she plopped on the ground completely exhausted. Her Byakugan and Sharingan were involuntarily deactivated as she no longer had enough chakra to sustain them. She panted heavily as sweat dripped down the side of her forehead. Some blood stains marred her left shoulder, upper left thigh, and left cheek from her fierce fight against Shizuma, but she involuntarily lifted her lips into a slight smile as she stared at Shizuma trapped inside her Jutsu screaming and shouting as he tried to rip himself free from the rubbery net.

It was then that the fog around them cleared up. Chojuro had successfully detained the three Mist shinobi who engaged him in combat, Sarada had successfully defeated Bunta, and Boruto had managed to successfully convince Kagura to stop what he was doing breaking him free from Shizuma's psychological control. In the end everything ended peacefully. Boruto, Sarada, Chojuro, and Hiroshi stared at Shizuma yelling and screaming as he struggled to free himself before turning to look at an exhausted Iraia in shock and wonderment.

Hiroshi was the first to break the ice as he questioned, "S-Sis! You can change the attribute of your Lava Style?! Since when?"

Boruto and Sarada snapped out of their thoughts and turned to Hiroshi as they said, "You didn't know? Aren't you two siblings?"

As they bantered between themselves Kagura stood off to the side and felt as if he had been freed from a chain that had been weighing him down since long ago as he was lost in his own thoughts. _Thank you. Boruto. Sarada. Hiroshi. Iraia. You four, despite everything that has happened, you didn't abandon me and still treat me as if we are friends. I won't ever forget it._


	6. Graduation Exam

Chapter 6

A few months passed since the field trip to Kirigakure as the time for the graduation exam winded down. In fact the exam was going to take place the next day, however at right this moment Shino was conducting the last parent teacher conferences of the school year. Currently sitting in the conference room opposite Shino was Hiroshi, Iraia, and Hanabi.

Shino looked down at his sheet of paper and started, "Well, in general Hiroshi is doing very well in his classes obtaining above average grades in his general studies. For his shinobi studies and shinobi skills tests he consistently performs as one of the top ten bests throughout the entire academy and not just his class. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that Hiroshi can utilize the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai. His skill with it is more than exceptional. I've no doubt that Lord 6th helped train him in this area, correct?"

Hanabi smiled as she ruffled Hiroshi's hair to which he just grinned happily. Hanabi then nodded and answered Shino.

"Correct. Izaya was the one who discovered that Hiroshi had the potential to utilize the Wood Style, however he never forced Hiroshi to learn it. One day Hiroshi saw Izaya utilize his Wood Style to create a chair to sit in and he wanted to learn. He said something about learning it would help him have a more relaxed life wherever he went."

Hiroshi blushed at the embarrassing story his mom told and commented, "MOM! Shino-sensei doesn't need to know this...It's embarrassing…"

Hanabi just smiled at Hiroshi's foolishness before continuing, "Well, it's true Hiroshi. You were so cute back then. Anyways, in the end Hiroshi came to enjoy learning from Izaya so he took his training seriously ever since."

Shino nodded his head in approval as he listened. He then looked back down at his sheet of paper before saying, "Mn. While he does space out in class a lot there shouldn't be any problems with his prospects as a shinobi."

At Shino's words Hanabi glanced at Hiroshi with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? Spaces out huh?"

Hiroshi just sheepishly and guiltily laughed at his mom's comment. He didn't give Hanabi another chance to say anything as he quickly tried to change topics and said, "Umm...How's sis doing in class Shino-sensei?"

Shino looked down at the paper in his hand and flipped the page to Iraia's evaluation sheet before saying, "Iraia...hmm...She's doing exceedingly well. One of the top scorers on her written exams all across the board. As for her skills as a shinobi, she places amongst the top ten in her class. Her Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu are just a point or two below Hiroshi's. But that's still incredibly good."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow in surprise at what Shino said and questioned, "Really?" She then turned to look at Iraia who quickly turned her head in the opposite direction so she wouldn't make eye contact with her mom. Hanabi just let out a soft sigh as she stared at her daughter.

_Izaya did say that Iraia didn't like to show off. Oh this daughter of mine. _

Hanabi then turned her attention back at Shino and said, "Is there anything else?"

Shino looked down at his paper once more for reference. "Ah, well I do have a couple more comments. First, I am incredibly impressed at Iraia's ability to utilize and control her Byakugan. I am also thoroughly impressed that she can utilize the Lava Style Kekkei Genkai. Her control over her Lava Style is no less impressive than Hiroshi's control over his Wood Style. Her prospects as a shinobi are no less than Hiroshi's. You and Lord 6th must be very proud of them. The only thing left is for them to decide what kind of shinobi they wish to be. I assume one of them will be taking up the position as the Hyuga clan head one day correct?"

At the mention of the Hyuga clan head position the atmosphere turned a bit awkward. There was a silence that filled the room before Shino scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and apologized, "I-I'm sorry. I mentioned something I shouldn't have."

Hanabi just let out a sigh and responded, "It's fine Shino. You see, that position hasn't been decided yet. That's why both Hiroshi and Iraia bear the last name Karasuma. Once an heir is decided th-" Hanabi was cut off mid-sentence as Iraia and Hiroshi looked at each other coming to a silent consensus as Hiroshi blurted out, "I'll do it!"

This surprised both Shino and Hanabi. Especially Hanabi as she asked, "W-Wait, Hiroshi what did you say?"

Hiroshi turned to look at his mom with determination and said, "I'll do it. I'll take on the responsibility as the next in line for the clan head position. I'll change my last name to Hyuga as well."

Hanabi was a bit speechless at what she was hearing. _Izaya and I talked about this before but we couldn't make a decision. We decided that we'd let the kids be kids for as long as we could before a decision needed to be made. We didn't want to force anything on them._

Hanabi noticed the strong resolve in Hiroshi's eyes before turning to look at Iraia who simply nodded. Hanabi had a soft smile on her face as she asked, "Hiroshi. Iraia. How did you two come to this decision? You know that your dad and I don't want to force you both to do anything you don't want to do right?"

Hiroshi nodded as he answered, "Sis and I know mom. The truth is Iraia and I have known for awhile now that you and dad were struggling with this."

Hanabi let out a sigh in shame. "Haaaa...to think that you both already knew that your father and I were struggling with this. It's our fault not handling this better."

Iraia shook her head. "No mom. It's not your fault or papa's. Hiroshi and I know that you both have a lot of responsibility already. Brother and I don't want something like this to be an issue for you both."

Hanabi felt a warmth in her heart as she pulled both Hiroshi and Iraia into a tight hug. "I love you both."

"We love you too mom." They responded.

Just as Hanabi let them go she asked, "So, how did you both come to this decision?"

Hiroshi quickly answered, "Iraia wants to become a shinobi like dad. In order for her to pursue what she wants she can't be the one managing the clan. As for me I love the clan mom. I know it like the back of my hand. Besides, I want to do my best to help make it easier for you."

Hanabi let out a defeated sigh. "You'll have to change your name to Hyuga though. Are you prepared?"

Hiroshi just smirked and playfully remarked, "Heh. Will that make you or dad think any less of me?"

Hanabi ruffled Hiroshi's hair. "You've got a smart mouth mister! You know we'd love you regardless."

"See, then it doesn't matter to me. Besides Hyuga is your last name mom so changing from Karasuma to Hyuga makes no difference to me. From today onwards I'll be known as Hyuga Hiroshi."

Shino just watched this all playout as he was at a loss for words since he seemed a bit out of place in this context. Iraia and Hiroshi attended class for the rest of the day as per usual, however as they were walking back home with Asuka accompanying them she turned to the twins and asked, "Hey, did you both get approached by a really weird reporter who wanted to know why you wanted to become a shinobi?"

Hiroshi immediately recalled that strange journalist at Asuka's question and replied, "Ah? Oh yeah now that you mention it. Then he asked you too Asuka?"

Asuka nodded.

"So what did you tell him?" Hiroshi inquired curiously.

"I told him to mind his own business." Asuka replied matter-of-factly. Hiroshi made an awkward facial expression at Asuka's answer and awkwardly laughed. "Ha-haha...I see."

Asuka smiled at the memory before asking, "So, what did you both tell him?"

Hiroshi smiled and replied, "I told him that I'll be taking over as the next Hyuga clan head."

"EEEHHHH?!" Asuka exclaimed completely shocked.

"Oi oi, what's with that reaction."

"Well, it's just that I thought Iraia would be the next clan head not you."

"Huh? Why?"

"Isn't it because she's more suited? I mean she's calm, collected, INTELLIGENT, and skilled."

"You didn't have to emphasize the intelligent part Asuka. You know I'm not an idiot."

"I know. But you act like one half the time."

"Hey, that hurts."

Iraia simply watched Hiroshi and Asuka playfully banter. _Does that count as flirting between them? I never knew their relationship progressed so fast._

In the end Asuka said her goodbyes as they had reached the Hyuga compound.

The next day everyone gathered outside at the Konoha training grounds where the graduation exam was being held. Hiroshi began doing some stretches warming himself up. Iraia was currently by Asuka and Sarada as they were amiably talking. Well, Iraia mostly listened. It was then that they heard Shino's voice.

"Everyone seems pretty carefree…"

Everyone turned to see Shino, Anko, and Konohamaru appear before them wearing circle targets on their chests. Shino proceeded to hand everyone a white bandana and said, "I'm going to explain the rules for the exam. Tie those bandanas to your forehead. It represents your life. If it's taken from you then you fail. The exam will simulate an actual combat situation. The arena will be the entire forest behind us and your opponents will be us. The time limit is 24 hours. The targets you see on our chests are just like your bandanas. If you destroy the target on our chest then we will be eliminated and no longer be able to participate in battle."

Boruto smirked at Shino's explanation. "Heh. That's all? Then it's no big deal. We just have to face Shino-sensei, Anko-sensei, and big bro Konohamaru. Instead of the whole targets and bandanas why don't we just fight regularly?"

At that moment they all heard a very familiar voice. The voice of the Jonin Commander Kakashi. "If we do that then we can't use discretion."

Everyone looked on in shock at Kakashi's appearance as Hiroshi asked, "Commander Kakashi? What are you doing here?"

Kakashi simply smiled and replied, "Well, I am the proctor for the exam."

This revelation instantly caused everyone to feel a formless pressure weighing down on them, however Shikadai and Hiroshi had the same exact thought pass through their minds at that moment. _What a pain. _

Boruto simply rubbed the back of his neck amiably and said, "Don't worry everyone. Old man Kakashi isn't our enemy you know?"

Kakashi immediately frowned and became serious as he commented, "I know all about you guys too. I know that your class is the group of troublemakers. That's why I'm the proctor for this exam. We can't let troublemakers become shinobi. And so, I'll be watching. Seeing if you all are worthy of becoming shinobi or not." He then pulled out a single silver bell and said, "If you can take this bell away from me you'll pass. How's that?"

The moment Kakashi pulled out that silver bell Hiroshi, Iraia, and Asuka flinched. Back when they were really young they would always ask their parent's to tell them some stories. And one time Haku had told them a story about how he became an official Genin which involved a bell test.

Kakashi then continued, "By the way the bandanas and targets are only for clarifying decisions. We don't want to kill anyone after all."

Shikadai felt a drop of sweat drip down the side of his face as he felt the pressure from Kakashi's explanation and asked, "Is it okay if we clarify something. That bell in your hand Commander Kakashi, there's one for everyone right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No."

Boruto panicked with anger and remarked, "What?! Then you're only going to let one person pass?"

Without answering specifically Kakashi dodged the question by replying, "If you don't like it you can quit. But, that'll be counted as an automatic fail. In this day and age we are at peace. We have enough shinobi already. It's not a big deal if no one passes."

Instantly the whole class was shocked at Kakashi's answer, however Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka glanced at each other wondering if Kakashi's bell test would be similar to the one in Haku's story. Konohamaru interjected at this moment as some of the students voiced their dissent about the test not being fair. "Listen up. There's nothing strange about the rules. You say it's unfair. But have you forgotten. The world you're trying to enter in, one mistake means death. There's nothing fair in that when your life's on the line. That's reality. We will be acting as Commander Kakashi's bodyguards. You'll have to get through us first, however we won't make it easy on you."

Kakashi then casually chimed in, "And there you have it. Come at us with the intent to kill, or you'll never get this bell. Show us your resolve. You have 24 hours starting now. On your mark-" Boruto didn't wait for Kakashi to finish as he jumped in the air and shouted, "No need to wait for that!"

He then threw a kunai straight at Kakashi who substituted himself for a log and began walking off in the distance as he remarked, "Sheesh. Like father like son. So impatient. Well, we start now. Good luck." He then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shino, Anko, and Konohamaru also disappeared into the forest as everyone gave chase. All but Inojin, Shikadai, Chocho, Asuka, Iraia, and Hiroshi. Those six turned to each other and just let out soft sighs of annoyance. Just as Shikadai was about to ask if Iraia wanted to team up, she began walking off towards the forest along with Asuka and Hiroshi.

"Irai-Ah? Where are you guys going?"

Hiroshi just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Haven't you figured it out Shikadai? There's only a single bell. Plus, we're facing off against Commander Kakashi. As in the person who fought tens of thousands of enemies in the 4th Great Ninja war and is in charge of ALL Jonin and Chunin in the entire village of Konoha. You do the math. How many Jonin and S-class enemies do you think Kakashi has fought against before? Then pit our entire class against him. Think we'd still get the bell after 24 hours?"

Inojin tilted his head confused and replied, "You make a good point...Then where are you guys going?"

Asuka smirked and said, "To fight of course. Didn't you hear what Commander Kakashi just said? He said show us your resolve. As long as we show that we have the potential to become shinobi we should get a passing grade. And besides, it never hurts to try. Who knows, even though it seems like an impossible task to get the bell, you can't discount the small chance that we might actually succeed. You can thank us later for giving you the answer."

With that the three of them dashed off into the forest. It wasn't long before they were stopped by Shino as he commented, "Oh? Asuka, Iraia, and Hiroshi huh? You three together indeed make a formidable team. Both of your fathers were on the same team back in the day as well. You three possess some of the most exemplary skills in the entire academy."

Asuka furrowed her brow and said, "Shino-sensei. Prepare yourself. We'll show you and Commander Kakashi just how strong our resolve is."

Hiroshi nodded in agreement and shouted, "Now!" Asuka quickly formed the hand signs of Ox, Snake, and Ram shouting, "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Instantly the area became fogged causing Shino to frown. He created a bunch of bugs to flow all around him as a shield and also sent many of them out in the area to search for his three students. Hiroshi and Iraia instantly activated their Byakugan so they wouldn't be hindered by the fog and noticed all of the bugs Shino spread through the area.

Iraia turned to Hiroshi and said, "I'll take care of it." She quickly formed the Tiger sign and shouted, "Lava Style: Volcanic Ash Cloud Jutsu!" She exhaled a large amount of volcanic ash into the surrounding as it began to smother Shino's many bugs. Shino took notice of this but was unable to do anything about it. At that instant he sensed something off so he jumped upwards and successfully escaped from being ensnared by Hiroshi's Wood Style, however he was left vulnerable in the air as Asuka appeared by his side with extreme speed and struck straight at Shino's head. Shino's battle experience let him successfully guard against Asuka's attack, however because she aimed for his head and he was forced to block his vision was obscured. This let Iraia successfully destroy the target on Shino's chest with a shuriken.

Shino was incredibly shocked at how well coordinated his three student's worked together and could only let out a sigh as the thought to himself in momentary silence.

_Yuki Asuka. Hyuga Hiroshi. Karasuma Iraia. They probably grew up as close friends since childhood since their dad's are sworn brothers. They must be aware of each other's abilities already and have sparred against one another before becoming familiar with how they each fight. This is proven at how Asuka utilized her Hidden Mist Jutsu knowing that it wouldn't affect Iraia or Hiroshi due to their Byakugan. On top of that Hiroshi's Wood Style is the greatest at impeding and restricting the movements of the opponent. Iraia's Lava Style is the greatest at causing the most damage. And Asuka's Swift Style is the greatest at closing the gap and distracting the opponent. Sigh. I wonder how Commander Kakashi would choose to fight them. Facing off against 3 Kekkei Genkai users is pretty tough. Even if they are my students. Well, considering who's children they are I suppose it isn't too far fetched. If I recall their fathers were real monsters back in the day as well. _

Just as Shino snapped back to reality he noticed that Iraia, Asuka, and Hiroshi had already left and so he just stared dumbfoundedly at the empty area around him and let out a sigh of defeat.

**888**

At this moment loud noises of chatter, drinking, and eating could be heard as a single person sat in the corner discreetly eavesdropping on the conversations around him. A dark cloak covered his frame, however the very familiar katana on his waist and blindfold covering his eyes made him easily recognizable to all those who knew anything about Konoha. He was the one and only 6th Hokage, Izaya. But of course he was nowhere near Konoha. He wasn't even in the same dimension. As Izaya sat there with a drink in his hand watching and observing the people and creatures around him he curiously thought to himself.

_So...this is the realm of Tengus huh? Interesting. Whenever Senko builds up enough chakra to connect to another dimension it's always random. We don't ever truly know which dimension we'll enter and what planet we'll end up on, we just know that it's a connectable dimension with the potential to house some form of life. So long as it doesn't have a Divine Tree that has already sucked all its life away. On this planet the dominant species are the Tengus and humans are the minority. In fact I'm surprised at all that humans exist here on this planet and dimension. These humans don't have any different features than we do. They've managed to develop a comprehensive system to wield their chakra and weaponize it for their uses, but they mainly channel it through their swords and weapons. Apparently infusing their chakra into different techniques via Kenjutsu is their main fighting style. I just arrived here yesterday, but already I've learnt a lot. The Tengu's are discriminatory towards the human race on this planet. When I arrived yesterday I was attacked by several Tengu soldiers. Well, I suppose it wasn't all bad. I needed a reason to search through someone's mind anyways and since they offered themselves up I didn't stand on ceremony. Thanks to that I was able to pick up and understand their language quicker. This planet is ruled by a single Tengu who they call the Tengu supreme and his council of elders. He's supposedly the strongest of them all. And apparently there's a small rebel faction of Humans resisting the regime. Sigh. I should try not to cause too much of a disturbance here. Unless of course there are traces of the Otsutsuki clan or Jashinist here. Then that's a different story. _

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts as a 2.5 meter tall gray colored Tengu was causing a loud ruckus in the tavern. It dragged over a pretty and young human woman and shoved her on the table he was using causing Izaya to frown in dismay.

_So much for wanting to remain low key. Trouble just seeks me out doesn't it? It doesn't help that I'm human and they discriminate against us. I wonder if I should just transform as a Tengu and remain that way for awhile. _

The giant Tengu smirked as he pinned the woman down on the table. A lewd gleam in his eyes gave away exactly what he was going to do. The other Tengus in the tavern simply egged him on and cheered at his actions. As Izaya sat there unmoving the Tengu looked over to him and said condescendingly, "Oi. Human brat. Beat it. Can't you see I'm using this table."

Izaya simply continued to drink his pint of alcohol completely ignoring this Tengu which pissed it off even more. Some of the Tengu's in the tavern began to shout.

"Hey Vylon, just beat up that human brat. He obviously doesn't know his place. Then you can do that woman right in front of him. In the human culture he's supposedly known as a man."

"Hahaha! Man? No way! Humans are slaves! Why? Because they're weak!"

Izaya simply let their provocation in through one ear and out the other as he continued to drink his alcohol, but as he glanced at the woman pinned down on his table he saw the pleading look in her eyes.

_Sigh. I guess I have no choice but to interfere. She is, after all, human like me. The human race is quite pitiful in this realm. _

But before Izaya had a chance to do anything that gray Tengu named Vylon smirked sinisterly and tore that woman's dress off as he stared at Izaya and said, "Human brat. Watch closely. Watch how I violate your kind as you are powerless to do anything about it. Then I'll beat you up and drag you to your home and do your wife as yo-" Before Vylon could finish his sentence Izaya's fist connected with his face so fast that he couldn't react. Vylon was sent flying across the room and crashed into the wall on the far end of the tavern. Blood pooled from his face as he stared in disbelief at Izaya.

At this moment Izaya felt extreme rage boil up inside him as he stared at Vylon's battered face and warned, "Don't you dare. Speak about my wife. There are worse things than death in this world and believe me, I'm quite capable of letting you experience what they are."

Vylon stared at Izaya in careful consideration because for some reason he felt fear. FEAR! He didn't know why. He never felt fearful of a human before, but at this moment he knew that if he faced this human he would have a fate worse than death. However the other Tengus in the tavern simply shouted at Vylon to stop being a scaredy cat and called him stupid for getting hit like that by a human. Vylon felt conflicted about what to do. It was then that another Tengu stepped into the room. A large 3 meter Tengu who was silver in color. He had a very imposing aura about him.

Vylon breathed a sigh of relief as he said, "Brother Ven."

Ven shook his head at his little brother and scolded, "Idiot. How dare you let a small and weak human hit you like that."

Izaya completely ignored them and took a tablecloth from one of the tables draping it around the naked woman from earlier and said, "Go. And don't come back." However that woman gripped Izaya's arm as she trembled in fear. Izaya sighed and knew that this woman didn't feel safe leaving on her own. He frowned at her actions and said, "Let go of my arm. If you do then I'll escort you out of here. What's your name?"

She simply replied, "Lyra. My name is Lyra."

Izaya looked down to where she still gripped his arm and said, "If you don't release me then I won't help you."

Instantly Lyra let go. Then, without warning that giant Tengu named Ven flared up his chakra causing a powerful wind to generate within the tavern. The wind caused Izaya's cloak to flutter about on his body and reveal his face to everyone. Instantly the woman Lyra felt her heart pound hard against her chest.

_He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen. _

Izaya turned to face Ven and said with great disinterest, "I'd rather not fight. This could end peacefully if you stand down. Lyra and I will leave this tavern and that'll be the end of this matter. What do you say?"

All the Tengus in the room simply laughed as if they were watching a comedy show. Ven replied, "Foolish human. This is why you all are slaves. Only the strong have the right to make demands and requests. You hit my brother. You robbed him of his pleasure. For that you will pay with your life."

Vylon snickered and encouraged Ven saying, "Brother, kill this human! Hehehe! Then afterwards let's go find his family and fuck his wife! Hahahaha!"

Izaya was immediately incensed at Vylon's words. Ven unsheathed his giant 2 meter blade and channeled his chakra through it as he shouted, "Kenjutsu: Wind Wave!" He then slashed the air causing a giant 10 meter crescent shaped wind blade to fly straight at Izaya who simply picked up a fork on the table next to him. Just as the wind blade was about to hit Izaya he simply performed a tapping motion with the fork making it look like he used the fork to nullify the attack, however in reality he activated the power of his Rinnegan's Almighty Push ability on a very small scale to neutralize it. This little trick startled all the Tengus in the room as the tavern that was filled with great laughter and loud shouts was now completely and deathly silent.

Ven stared in disbelief as he stammered, "I-Impossible! There's no way a mere human could have blocked that attack! And with a FORK!"

Izaya didn't care what anyone thought. The only emotion coursing through his veins was pure bloodlust and the only thought that crossed his mind was how he was going to enjoy torturing Vylon to death. In but a mere 5 seconds the power of his Almighty Push ability returned so he casually threw the fork at Ven fueling its power with his Rinnegan ability. In but a mere moment the fork stabbed straight through Ven's eye socket, however it didn't stop there. It completely burrowed itself deep into his brain so far that the fork tips could be seen protruding out the back of Ven's skull. Ven's body stood there for a few seconds before dropping flat on the ground. Completely and utterly dead. Before anyone could say anything Izaya stared at Vylon and flared up his powerful chakra that was no less than that of a Tailed Beasts. His aura of murder and bloodlust and anger mixed in with his chakra and erupted in the entire tavern causing it to quake and creak. All living creatures within that tavern instantly shuddered in extreme fear. A single thought passed through every Tengu's mind at that moment.

_This isn't a human! It's a demon!_

Izaya smirked sinisterly and said, "All of you, get out."

He then pointed to Vylon and said, "Except you. I told you not to speak about my wife. I told you that there are worse things than death in this world. The people here call you monsters. But I will show you what a monster truly is."

When the Tengus in the tavern heard that Izaya would let them go they all fled without a second thought as fast as they could. All but Vylon as Izaya gripped him by the hair and dragged him into a secluded room. Only terrible screams of extreme horror could be heard in that room for hours. It wasn't until night fell that Izaya exited from that room covered in blood that obviously wasn't his own. Lyra, the human woman was the only one who remained in the tavern. She ran up to Izaya with concern and was about to grip his hands to see if he was injured, however Izaya flared up his chakra just enough to halt her in her footsteps as she shuddered with a strange mix of fear and desire.

Izaya furrowed his brow not missing the fact that this human girl Lyra was acting too friendly towards him. "Why are you still here?"

Lyra fidgeted in place as she replied, "I-I was waiting for y-you to escort me."

Izaya frowned. "You no longer require an escort. All the Tengus have already left."

"But...I still don't feel safe yet."

"I'm not a babysitter."

"I'm not asking you to be. I just wanted to repay you for saving me."

"No need. I don't need any repayment. Besides, I mostly stepped in because they disrespected my wife."

"Y-You're married?" Lyra said with disappointment.

"Happily married. To the love of my life." Izaya responded making sure to emphasize that he wasn't interested in her advances. Lyra had a downcast look, but after a moment passed she steeled her resolve and said, "You're not from around here are you?"

"No. Am I that obvious?"

"Yes. Your aura is different than any other humans I've ever felt."

"How so?"

"I-It's confident. Fearsome. Powerful. Dangerous. But also warm. Safe. Comforting."

Izaya narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not interested. I'll make myself clear. I will never be with another woman other than my wife."

Lyra slightly flinched at Izaya's comment but didn't let it affect her. She simply nodded. "O-Of course. I see you are a very faithful man. That's good. Since you aren't from around here then perhaps you need a place to stay?"

"It's not necessary. I'll be fine on my own. I have work to do." Just as Izaya began walking out of the door Lyra panicked as she quickly shouted, "Ah! W-Well perhaps I can help. What kind of work?"

Izaya simply shook his head. "I doubt you would be able to help me. I'm looking for something known as a Divine Tree. Unless you know something about that or some clan known as the Otsutsuki. Or perhaps a religious cult called the Jashinist. If not then I'll take my leave."

Just as Izaya turned around he heard Lyra say, "Yes. Well I don't know about any Jashin cult or Otsutsuki clan or Divine Tree, but there are the two great World Trees."

Izaya furrowed his brow in contemplation. _World Trees? It's possible that these World Trees are the same as the Divine Tree. Damn it. I really don't want to go along with this Lyra. She seems like trouble. But I need to find out more. Sigh. _

"What do you know about these World Trees and where are they?"

Lyra fidgeted in her spot as she said, "I-I don't know too much myself but in my hometown not too far from here the elder of our town knows about them. I can take you to meet him if you'd like."

Izaya just let out a sigh. _No choice I guess. I'll get the info and then leave immediately._

"Very well. Lead the way."

Lyra brightened as she heard Izaya's words and nodded as she led him towards her town. It was about a half an hour hike from where the tavern was. As they reached the town Lyra paused and asked, "A-Are you hungry? It's late and after what happened at the tavern you probably haven't eaten yet."

Izaya just shook his head. "I'd like to just meet the elder of the town."

Lyra let out a soft sigh of defeat and nodded as she brought Izaya to an average looking house and knocked on the door. Before long an old and short man with short gray hair opened the door and spoke with a raspy voice. "Ah? Lyra? What are you doing here so late at night my dear?" It was then that he also took notice of Izaya's appearance. "Eh? A guest?"

Lyra nodded and said, "This man saved my life. He is my savior. He wishes to speak to you elder Lorfa, about the World Trees."

"Ah? Those terrible things?"

At the elders words Izaya furrowed his brow and already came to his own conclusions but decided to hear the whole story from the elder. The elder, however, stared warily at Izaya as he was still covered in blood from head to toe. Lyra noticed the elder's hesitation and quickly interjected, "Ah, please don't mind-um...great savior, what is your name?" It was at this point that Lyra noticed that she never got Izaya's name from him.

Izaya simply expressionlessly replied, "Just call me traveler."

Lyra felt disappointed inside but nodded and said, "Elder Lorfa, this traveler only looks like this because he saved me. Please don't mind it."

Lorfa stared doubtfully but sighed and replied, "Very well. Why don't you both come inside then. Lyra, there's some extra clothes in the back storage of my house. You can go there and change into something more appropriate. As for you traveler, I can't focus with the stench of all that blood on you. There is a bathroom upstairs where you can take a bath and get rid of all that blood."

Izaya simply nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality." He then walked in and went straight to the bathroom. While Izaya was out of sight elder Lorfa turned to Lyra and asked, "Did he truly save you? What happened?"

As Lyra narrated the events that happened Lorfa widened his eyes in great shock. "W-What?! You're telling me that that human defeated and killed the Tengu Ven and Vylon? Those two have been terrorizing this area for years! No one was their match!"

Lyra simply nodded her head in infatuation. "Elder, please let me stay while you both converse. I-I think I've fallen for him."

Lorfa could only let out a deep sigh. "To think that he was such a powerful human being. All of the strongest humans have gathered to the North, but even then it would be impossible for those humans to do what you told me. Stopping a full on attack from Ven with a fork? A FORK! I can't fathom it. On top of that this human is very young and handsome. If you can successfully court him then it would be good for you Lyra."

After about a half an hour Izaya returned downstairs and sat around a table on the opposite end of Lorfa. Without any good way to ease into the conversation Izaya just said, "Elder Lorfa. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. I don't wish to intrude upon your home for very long so I suppose I will just get right to the point. These World Trees. What are they? Where are they? And what do they look like?"

Elder Lorfa just gave out a long drawn out sigh before answering. "First of all I would like to thank you for saving Lyra. She is the daughter of this town's leader. I understand your wish to not intrude, but worry not. There is no need to rush. I've nothing better to do anyways. Now to answer your question. There are two World Trees. One is to the North where the strongest humans have gathered, the other to the South where the strongest Tengus have gathered. These Trees are the largest objects in our entire world and they hold incredible life energy and great power, but at a great price. In order to sustain the Trees, sacrifices must be made to it every so often. And I mean human or Tengu sacrifices. Essentially living beings must be offered to it. In return the lands where those Trees are situated are prosperous. Rich crops and fields can be farmed all year round. You might be wondering then why we in this town do not go to the North. It is because those who are sacrificed are also chosen from those in the North. Should we go it is possible we may only end up being sacrifices for those Trees. A long time ago I heard a rumor that both of those Trees bore a single fruit. A human ate one from the North and a Tengu took one from the South. It granted them tremendous power and they have been at war all this time. Both sides want to lay claim to the other's Tree, however both the North and the South are so well guarded that neither side can gain an absolute advantage and so they have been in a constant stalemate all this time."

Izaya furrowed his brow in deep contemplation. _There's no doubt these two trees are the Divine Trees. If the fruit has been eaten then the leader of the Human faction and the Tengu faction both have most likely awaken the powers of the Rinne Sharingan just as Kaguya had when she ate the fruit. Or they might not have since they aren't an Otsutsuki like Kaguya was. Regardless, they have gained tremendous power from these trees. The question is what should I do with it? The best option is probably to seal away the trees into a moon like the Sage of Six Paths did with the Divine Tree in our world and just like Sasuke and Naruto did with Kaguya. As for the chakra these other Ten Tails contain, according to Senko, if we can gather enough energy Senko might be able to connect a dimensional portal to the Heavenly Plane. Then we can finally see what's going on up there. The Otsutsuki clan should be stationed in that Plane and perhaps the Jashinist as well. Looks like I'll have to pay a visit to the North and the South. And since both fruits were eaten I wonder if the Otsutsuki clan will take notice and arrive here just as we predict for our world._

Just as Izaya finished his thoughts Lorfa brought back a pot of tea and poured some for them as he took a seat again. He took a sip before continuing, "Our discussion could take awhile. We should at least be comfortable while conversing. Now, where was I? Right, the North and the South are at a stalemate. The leader of the Northern human faction is called Aseiyo. The leader of the Southern Tengu faction is called Zaiforan. They both had one son, however I heard that something happened and their sons tried to overthrow them so they both ended up killing their sons. It was a tragic thing that happened."

Izaya frowned as he thought about Hagoromo and Hamura and how they fought to defeat Kaguya. He took a sip of his tea before asking, "Have you heard of any rumors rega-" Before he could finish his sentence Izaya felt a burning sensation well up inside of him. His breathing grew rapid and his body felt hot from the inside out.

_P-Poison?! But I watched that elder pour from the same teapot and drank it. I waited an ample amount of time to ensure that the poison didn't have some sort of time delay effect. So why? _

Izaya gritted his teeth as he stared at Lorfa with anger. His chakra flared up causing the entire house to crack and begin to break a part. "Y-You poisoned me? Why aren't you affected?"

Lorfa stood in a corner of the room completely frightened as he didn't understand what was going on. The aura he felt from Izaya was so oppressive that he was actually starting to suffocate, however that oppressive aura slowly began to wane and subside as Izaya struggled to keep his raging emotions in check. There was one emotion that was running wild inside of him. Lust. He was confused.

"This poison? A powerful aphrodisiac?"

It was then that Lyra walked into the room and spoke. "Yes! It was me who put that aphrodisiac into the tea. Lorfa is unaffected because here in this town this aphrodisiac is but part of our daily consumption in our food. We have all built up an immunity to it. But you are not from around here traveler so you have not. Can you feel it? The burning desire to want and need to be with a woman? To be with me? To release your primal urges! Yes I know you may be married, however what if I bore your child? Hahaha then you must take responsibility! You are a faithful man so I know that you won't leave me after!"

Izaya gritted his teeth as the feeling was becoming unbearable. "You're insane!" He growled with a strange mix of anger and lust. His chakra was getting difficult to control.

Lyra smiled crazily as she began to walk towards Izaya, however before she could come within a foot of Izaya he clenched his fist and shouted, "Almighty Push!"

BANG!

The entire house blew apart leaving it in nothing but ruins and tatters. Lyra was sent rolling through the air before she crashed onto the ground in the distance. Only Lorfa was spared from Izaya's attack as he sat there frightened like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, however Izaya didn't even give Lorfa a second thought as the only thing he could feel was a burning desire. His heart pounded so hard one could hear it. With the last of his strength over the control of his chakra he shouted, "Flying Thunder God Jutsu: Gate Crossing!"

FWISH!

And in an instant he disappeared.

**888**

It was currently daytime in Konoha as Hanabi was in the kitchen currently baking some dessert. She wanted to make sure that she had a cake ready to celebrate when Iraia and Hiroshi officially became Genin. They were currently taking their graduation exam. Just as she was whipping together the cream she heard a loud crash behind her. She was immediately startled, but when she turned around she was instantly alarmed.

"I-Izaya! What happened?!" She helped prop Izaya up against the wall to steady his body but was alarmed once more. "Your body is burning up! We need to get you to the hospital! I'll go get Sakura!" However, before she could move Izaya gripped her arm and pinned her against the kitchen counter as he heavily breathed behind her neck sending warm shivers down her spine.

"I-Izaya? What's gotten into you? What happened?"

Izaya gritted his teeth and shut his eyes as he continued to breath heavily. "Hanabi. I. Need. You." He growled deeply and heavily.

Hanabi felt shivers run throughout her body as Izaya began to touch her.

"Izaya. Mmmmm...Wait...Nghh...Not here." She involuntarily moaned.

"Poisoned. Aphrodisiac. Please Hanabi! I can't control myself much longer!" Izaya nearly shouted towards the end in dark desperation.

Hanabi widened her eyes in shock at the revelation that Izaya had been poisoned by some sort of aphrodisiac. It was then that Izaya made eye contact with Hanabi and a feeling other than pure animalistic desire overtook him. It was his complete love for her. He quickly shoved himself against the wall and growled heavily, "H-Hanabi! I'm sorry. I'm losing control over myself. Get away from me. I'll go contain myself somewhere."

As Hanabi stared at Izaya struggling to control himself she couldn't help but just feel overwhelming love. Just watching Izaya completely hot and bothered raging with want and need for her made her want him just as much so she simply said, "The kids won't be home until tomorrow morning."

Izaya groaned as Hanabi's words didn't help where his mind was wandering to. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm losing control."

Hanabi simply whispered, a hint of desire in her own words. "I'm all yours."

And that was it. Izaya gripped Hanabi and turned her around pinning her against the kitchen counter. Pure animalistic desire reflected in his eyes and Hanabi gladly accepted all of him...

The next morning after nearly 24 hours passed by for their Graduation exam Iraia and Hiroshi walked back into the house with smiles on their faces. The new headbands of the Leaf Village worn on their heads as a symbol of officially becoming Genin of Konoha. Just as they walked through the house wanting to show off to their mom they paused and simply panicked. The entire house was in complete chaos. It was as if a storm blew through the house. Pots and pans were littered on the floor. The couches and tables were flipped over. The chairs were everywhere. Pieces of paper strewn all about the floor. Iraia and Hiroshi were greatly alarmed and worried that something happened to their mom so they ran as fast as they could through the house in search of her yelling and calling her name, but before they could get too far they heard a loud voice.

"Children!"

Hiroshi and Iraia paused in their tracks and turned to see Hiashi.

"Grandpa?" They both said at the same time.

Hiroshi quickly asked, "Grandpa, what happened! Where's mom?! Is she okay?"

Hiashi had an awkward look on his face as he coughed and replied, "Ahem! Um...Your mom is fine. She's...uh, resting. Don't mind the house. It's...nothing to worry about. Your father came home and was...practicing a new Jutsu of his. Let's just say that it went a little...how should I put this...wild. But no one got hurt. Your mom and dad are exhausted and are taking a quick nap. You can see them when they wake up. For now why don't you accompany your grandpa to the gardens. I see that you both have been promoted to Genin! Congratulations! Your mom and dad will be so proud and happy to hear about it when they wake up. Come now. Follow me."

Iraia and Hiroshi simply stared at each other completely confused about the situation but were elated to hear that their dad was back so they simply obeyed and followed Hiashi to the gardens. All the while Hiashi could only sigh and shake his head. He had been out on vacation with some of his old friends staying at an inn with hot springs. When he returned in the morning he wanted to see how his daughter was doing. He went to her side of the building in the Hyuga compound only to find everything just as Iraia and Hiroshi did. He panicked and went to search for Hanabi, however all he found was a peacefully sleeping Hanabi and Izaya on the soft carpet of the living area with the drapes of the torn window curtains covering their bodies. He was immediately embarrassed and dashed out of the house as fast as he could and waited for his grandchildren to return home to save them from a traumatizing sight.

_Sigh. I believe Izaya and Hanabi owe me one now. Just what were they thinking last night? _


	7. The New Team 11

Chapter 7

It wasn't until late afternoon that Izaya stirred in his sleep. The warm glow of the sunlight shone through the window and down on his and Hanabi's sleeping form like a warm soothing massage on their skin.

"Mmmh…" He felt amazing. His body felt completely refreshed, almost as if he was able to let out all of his pent up frustrations, worries, anxieties, he felt like he was just able to let go without reservations or holding back his feelings. He yawned and heard soft breathing next to him. He felt a warm breath tickle against his chest so he groggily opened his eyes and was met with Hanabi's beautiful sleeping form. The window drapes barely covered her naked shoulders as she slept soundly, completely drained from their activities the other day. Immediately all the memories of what he and Hanabi had done last night rushed back into his mind jolting him fully awake. He quickly shot up in a seated position as he looked all around him and noticed the mess that he and Hanabi had made. His face instantly turned red as he recalled how he didn't hold back at all and he turned even redder at the fact that Hanabi welcomed him with open arms.

_Sigh...I-I should be ashamed of myself...but I can't deny t-that Hanabi and I…_

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Hanabi stir in her sleep. When Izaya sat up the drapes that covered them both had shifted and exposed more of Hanabi's naked form letting some of the cool air hit her skin. Izaya frowned as he took note of all the love marks he left on her body. At that moment Hanabi stirred in her sleep. She was half awake, but she kept her eyes closed as she was still completely exhausted, but in a good way.

"Izaya. You awake?" She whispered.

Izaya felt his heart warm and also felt guilty as he bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm here." He whispered softly.

"Mmmm...Are you okay now?"

Izaya shamefully bowed his head. "Yeah. Thanks to you. I-I'm sorry Hanabi. About yesterday. I lost control."

Hanabi simply smiled. "It's fine. I enjoyed it. ALL. OF. IT."

Izaya just shook his head completely defeated by her and smiled as he kissed her forehead one more time. He slowly picked her up and teleported them to their bedroom which they never made it too last night. He tucked her in so that she could be more comfortable and whispered, "Don't worry about anything today. I'll take care of it. Just rest your body okay? I'll stick around for awhile so don't worry. I won't go anywhere. I love you."

"Mnnn...Okay. Love...you...too…" She sleep whispered towards the end. Izaya just smiled to himself and got dressed before heading back down to the mess they created.

_Sigh. To think that I of all people would fall prey to poison. I'll need to be even more cautious going forward. _

Izaya took one sweep of the house before saying, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Puff!

More than 100 Shadow Clones appeared as they got to work on cleaning around the house. In less than 20 minutes everything was put back as close to how it was before. Some things had gotten broken and needed to be replaced such as fragiles like vases, lamps, picture frames, etc. He then walked out to the garden and saw Hiroshi and Iraia staring at the flowers.

They heard Izaya walking towards them and turned around as they exclaimed, "Papa!"

"Dad!"

They got up from their seat and dashed over to him embracing him in a tight hug. Izaya did the same. It was then that he saw the forehead protectors on their heads and smiled saying, "You did it! You're officially Genin now?"

Hiroshi and Iraia nodded excitedly as Hiroshi replied, "Heh. Did you ever have any doubt?"

Izaya simply smirked at his son's response. Iraia then commented, "Papa, is mom okay? Hiroshi and I saw the mess the house was in. Grandpa said that you were practicing a new Jutsu and it went wild."

Izaya nearly choked on air as he listened to what Iraia said.

_Oh crap! I never considered that we'd be dead asleep somewhere in the house. We could have been caught by the kids. And it was father that told the kids not to disturb us which means father definitely knows what Hanabi and I were up to last night. That's...how am I supposed to face him now…_

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts as Iraia questioned, "Papa?"

Izaya just awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Your mom is okay. She's resting. Your mom helped me out a lot yesterday so she's very very tired. Very tired. Ahem. So tell me how you both have been? What's been new? How's your training been going? Did you pick up any new hobbies?"

Hiroshi smirked as he interjected, "Dad, after Iraia and I talked. Mom knows now too. But I've decided to take on the responsibility as the next heir to the Hyuga clan."

There was a moment of silence that filled the air as Izaya was momentarily shocked, but that silence made Hiroshi feel an invisible pressure since he didn't know how his dad would react to it or if he would approve. However, he breathed out a sigh of relief and felt a feeling of pride and responsibility after hearing Izaya say, "I see. Heh! So you've decided to become the next Head of the clan huh? I know you'll do great!"

Hiroshi grinned at Izaya's response. "Dad, so you approve? You really think I can do it?"

Izaya nodded seriously. "Of course I do. You're my son after all. I've watched you grow up all this time. If you're serious about it, then I've no doubt you can do it."

Hiroshi nodded seriously. As the three of them sat by the garden Iraia suddenly thought about a person she hadn't seen in awhile and asked, "Papa. How come I haven't seen Zen around lately? He never enrolled in the academy so how does he become a Genin?"

"Hmmm...Zen huh? Well, truth be told he was promoted to a Genin not long after he arrived in Konoha."

Both Hiroshi and Iraia were surprised at this revelation as Izaya continued, "I had him promoted as a Genin with the approval of Lord 7th Hokage and a host of other Jonin. His circumstance was a bit special and different than you two. You haven't seen him around because he's currently working as an Anbu."

Iraia tilted her head in confusion. "Then...papa, shouldn't you not be telling us because being an Anbu is supposed to be a secret?"

Izaya lightly laughed at how honest his daughter was being right now and patted her head. "Well, you are my daughter. And Hiroshi is my son. If I can't trust my own children then who should I trust? Besides, I want you both to be friends with Zen. To help him out if anything happens. He may have been living in the Leaf for the past two years but he's also spent a lot of that time away on missions so I don't believe he's even met any of your classmates. Help him out when that time comes. Okay?"

Hiroshi nodded and asked, "Then do you know when that'll be?"

Izaya simply nodded. "Once the Chunin Exams roll around the corner I'm having Zen participate." Izaya saw the confused look in both of their eyes so he continued, "I know you both have some questions but just wait until then. You'll understand by that time. For now just focus on yourselves. You're Genin now so who's your Jonin-sensei?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "We don't know yet. We just became Genin this morning. We couldn't go into the house because grandpa said we have to wait for you or mom to come get us."

Izaya instantly felt guilty and awkwardly laughed. "Ah-ahaha...right...sorry about that you two. You both can go inside the house now if you want to. I've cleaned up the mess."

"Mn." They both nodded as they were finally allowed entry back into the house. Just as they stood up to walk back towards the house Izaya quickly chimed in, "Wait. Iraia, Hiroshi, I have a present for both of you. I wanted to wait until you were both Genin to give you a gift."

Both Iraia and Hiroshi were both surprised and extremely happy as they couldn't help the smile that graced their lips. Izaya took note of their grins and smiled as well. "It'll only be a moment." He disappeared in a flash and in only a few seconds he returned right next to their side with a large scroll in his arms. Iraia looked curiously at the scroll and asked, "Papa, is that our gift?"

Izaya smirked. "Sort of. It's not the scroll itself. It's what you will do with the scroll."

Hiroshi scratched the side of his face curiously. "But there's only one scroll. Do Iraia and I share it?"

Izaya just laughed. "Alright be patient. I know you both are excited." He then laid the large scroll on the ground and unfurled it revealing a bunch of sealing characters as well as empty box spaces. "Alright you two. My gift to you is a Summoning Contract."

Both Iraia and Hiroshi widened their eyes in shock. They never imagined that they would be able to obtain a contract for a summoning so quickly. Izaya just smiled and continued, "I'm sure you both learnt how to make a contract already right? Iraia, I want you to sign on the left and Hiroshi the right."

They both nodded and did as instructed. Just as they finished signing their name in blood Izaya nodded his head in approval and closed the scroll before teleporting it away. "Great! Now you both can utilize the Summoning Jutsu and summon your contracted partner. Remember, the signs for the Summoning are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. Go ahead and give it a try."

Hiroshi and Iraia didn't stand on ceremony as they excitedly formed the hand signs and molded their chakra before shouting excitedly, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof! Poof!

Two small puffs of smoke appeared. As it cleared away it revealed a small wolf-like creature only 2 feet tall with black fur and white eyes by Hiroshi. By Iraia's feet appeared a small wolf-like creature as well with white fur and black eyes also 2 feet tall. The small creatures immediately recognized who summoned them and started sniffing who their masters were. Both Hiroshi and Iraia couldn't resist picking up their new summoned creatures and snuggling them in their arms. Izaya just smiled at the sight and said, "Alright. Let me tell you a bit about them. Hiroshi your summoned creature's name is Kuro. Iraia, your summoned creature's name is Shiro. They may look cute and cuddly but they'll be able to help you out if you use them correctly. They're still cubs as well. Take good care of them and as they grow alongside you they'll become invaluable companions."

Iraia and Hiroshi quickly bowed and thanked their dad before heading off inside the house with their new summoned creatures. Izaya just stared at their retreating forms and smiled.

The next day Iraia and Hiroshi arrived in the classroom as the entire class waited to be assigned to their team along with their Jonin instructor. Chocho walked over to Iraia and Sarada as she said, "Hey hey, so who do you think our Jonin instructor's going to be?"

Sarada awkwardly replied, "You know Chocho we might not even be placed on the same team."

Chocho just frowned. "Well I don't see why not. Us three are totally in tune with each other. I mean didn't you feel the vibe we had when we fought against that Uchiha Shin?"

Iraia just tilted her head in thought as she replied, "What about the famous Ino-Shika-Cho team?" At that moment Boruto interrupted. "Heh! That sounds interesting though! If you guys team up then Shikadai, Hiroshi, and I could team up!"

Mitsuki interjected at that moment and replied, "How about me?"

Boruto gave it some thought and replied, "Yeah! Then, it should be random between Shikadai, Mitsuki, Hiroshi, and I!"

Sarada just smirked. "As if. Things aren't going to go as you planned. Boruto."

Asuka chimed in at that moment. "Well, there's no use coming up with hypothetical teams and situations now. The sensei's are going to decide anyways. You'll just have to cross your fingers and hope that you have synergy with whoever they choose. And if you don't then you can only suck it up I guess."

Denki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, that's putting in bluntly."

At that moment Shino walked in along with a bunch of Jonin instructors causing the class to become silent. He then began his explanation. "Now, at this point you have all successfully graduated from the academy and become Genin. So first and foremost I want to congratulate you all again, but just know that that was nothing more than a checkpoint. Your training is not yet over. Now you all will be placed into three-man teams led by one Jonin instructor. It is in your best interest to get along with your teammates as you will be with them for many of your missions. They will become your comrades where you each will hold each other's life in your hands because teamwork will be the deciding factor in whether you live or die out there. This is the reality. From this moment on you will be forming bonds and relationships that will last for a long time to come. Please do not forget that. Now when I call your name you can leave the room and your Jonin instructor will then take over from there. Understood?"

"Yes!" Everyone replied.

Shino then proceeded to call names of three as he began assigning everyone team numbers. "Yamanaka Inojin, Nara Shikadai, Akamichi Chocho. You are team 10." "Hyuga Hiroshi, Yuki Asuka, Karasuma Iraia. You are Team 11." "And finally that leaves Uchiha Sarada, Uzumaki Boruto, and Mitsuki. You are Team 3."

Mitsuki was surprised as he responded, "Eh? Not Team 7?"

Konohamaru smirked and replied, "And your Jonin-sensei will be me."

As Sarada and Boruto made a small fuss Hiroshi had left the room with Asuka and Iraia. He was inwardly elated that he was on the same team as Asuka at the same time that Asuka and Iraia were glad to be on the same team as each other. They had grown up knowing each other and have been friends since childhood so they were quite close. At this moment their Jonin instructor walked up to them, however when Iraia and Hiroshi saw who it was they were left a little speechless.

Hiroshi was the first to speak up. "AH? B-Big bro Neji? You're our Jonin-sensei?"

Neji smiled. "Yeah! Be prepared. I won't go easy on you just because we're family."

**888**

At this moment Naruto was currently training the Konoha barrier team at a secret location within Konoha. Unbeknownst to him Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki were rushing to his location wanting to make a direct appeal about the team. As Naruto was training the barrier team Izaya happened to also be in the vicinity. After Hiroshi and Iraia had left in the morning to be assigned teams he had visited the Hokage's office only for Shikamaru to inform him of Naruto's schedule. He secretly came to watch as he was curious how Naruto was going to train the barrier team. As Izaya sat in the shadow of the trees he simply shook his head at the performance of the barrier team. He watched the barrier team try to contain Naruto in his chakra mode form only to fail time and time again.

_Well I suppose this is one way to train the barrier team into strengthening their ability to maintain the barrier, however it lasts only for 2 seconds before the barrier breaks. Naruto's chakra is too strong for the barrier team to handle. It'd need to be a much more powerful barrier or they would need at least four times the people they currently have in order to contain Naruto for even a minute within the Confinement Barrier. The barrier team needs to build up their mental fortitude more. They also need to learn how to redirect the flow of their chakra to help fortify the parts of the barrier that begin to break a part. That would make their barrier more difficult to break free of. _

As Izaya watched the barrier team fail again he let out a sigh and jumped down from his hiding spot.

Plop.

This immediately startled everyone there, however when they noticed who approached they quickly relaxed and greeted.

"Lord 6th!"

"Greetings Lord 6th!"

"How are you Lord 6th!"

"It's good to see you Lord 6th!"

Izaya simply nodded and acknowledged their greetings as Naruto gave a confused look and asked, "Lord 6th, I didn't know you returned. Sorry I wasn't able to meet you properly in the village."

"Don't worry about it. I returned unannounced...Ahem, anyways I heard from Shikamaru where you were and came to take a look. I thought I'd lend a helping hand."

Naruto's eyes instantly became determined as he nodded. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

The barrier team instantly felt a mix of nervousness, pressure, and encouragement as they heard that Lord 6th was going to assist them with the Confinement Barrier. Izaya took a look at the six shinobi making up the barrier team and said, "I watched how you all performed earlier. It's not a bad start, however there is room for improvement. Listen to my commands and I believe you will understand how to increase your skill with the barrier. Lord 7th, whenever you're ready go ahead and start."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah!" He then flared up his chakra and entered his chakra mode. Izaya furrowed his brow and said, "Now! Activate the barrier!"

All six of the shinobi plus Izaya quickly activated the technique creating a large purple barrier that surrounded Naruto. Naruto narrowed his eyes in focus and increased the amount of pressure he was placing on the barrier but thanks to Izaya's help the barrier continued to hold. The barrier team widened their eyes in surprise at how just Lord 6th alone could change how effective the barrier was. At this moment Izaya gave his commands, "Now listen up barrier team. We have all activated the technique together which means you all can sense just how much chakra is covering each side of the barrier correct?"

"Yes Lord 6th!" They all replied seriously.

Izaya nodded then continued, "Then you should all be able to tell who is putting in more energy and focus into keeping the barrier intact. To hold a barrier in place requires more than just chakra, it requires a powerful mental fortitude. When one part of the barrier begins to crack that is how you know that someone on the team is losing their mental focus. Do not put blame on that person. Instead give them encouragement and help them out. In order to help them you must refortify the area of the barrier that is beginning to break. What you need to do is redirect the energy of the barrier to the area that is breaking so that it can either hold together longer or even possibly repair itself. You must be careful to redirect only the amount of energy that is necessary to keep the barrier intact. Understood?"

"Yes Lord 6th!"

"Good. Now I shall slowly reduce the amount of help I am giving to all of you. Then try to apply the principle that I have taught you."

"Yes Lord 6th!"

Izaya didn't waste any time as he began to reduce the amount of influence he had over the barrier. Instantly the six barrier shinobi felt the pressure weigh down on them by more than twice it was before and that pressure was only increasing. Soon four times the pressure was placed on them. Then 6 times, and 8 times, and 10 times. The same thought flashed past all six of the barrier shinobi.

_Incredible! Lord 6th helped us out this much?! To think that already 10 times the pressure is placed back on us after Lord 6th has reduced his influence over the barrier and it's still increasing! Lord 6th is amazing! Not only that but the aura and chakra that Lord 7th is emitting is just as amazing. Both Lord 6th and Lord 7th are incredible! I knew the rumors said that they were strong but still getting to witness it in person is truly different. _

The training continued on for hours until the sun began to set. It was then that Sarada, Boruto, Mitsuki, and Konohamaru approached. Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Eh? How come you guys are here?"

Sarada quickly greeted both Naruto and Izaya before she held out a scroll in front of her and said, "Lord 7th! We wish to request that our team be renamed as Team 7 instead of Team 3!"

As Izaya witnessed this all play out he let out a light laugh and said, "Well, this doesn't seem to concern me so I'll be heading out first Lord 7th." He then turned to look at Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki and thought back to Naruto's old team of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Izaya simply smiled in approval and instantly disappeared startling the three Genin.

Boruto scratched the back of his head in contemplation and asked, "How is uncle Izaya so fast? He just disappeared. Like instantly."

Konohamaru simply chuckled and nodded. "You're right. He did."

Boruto crossed his arms and replied, "I know. I said that. But how?"

Konohamaru just smiled. "Heh. I guess you don't know but Lord 6th is a master at the Flying Thunder God Jutsu."

Boruto widened his eyes in shock. "EH?! Doesn't the Flying Thunder God Jutsu let one move instantaneously through teleportation? Wasn't that grandpa's Jutsu?"

Naruto chimed in at that moment and nodded. "Correct. It does. And you're right it was a signature technique of Lord 4th's, your grandpa. Ah, as for your request Sarada. Mn. I thought about it. Very well. I'll accept. From now on you three will be Team 7!"

Sarada and Konohamura smiled happily while Boruto was still lost in his thoughts.

_Uncle Izaya seems pretty strong. And dad seems to listen to him for some reason. I wonder if uncle Izaya will take me as a disciple._

The next couple of days came and went as the new Genins were taking up missions with their Jonin-sensei's. Because of that Iraia and Hiroshi weren't around leaving only Hanabi and Izaya as they were both performing some Taijutsu training together.

"Izaya. I heard that you gave Iraia and Hiroshi a Summoning Contract as a gift for becoming Genin."

Izaya nodded. "Mn. I did. They are special wolf creatures that are native to the Sage continent. The chakra system that these wolves use are Senjutsu so I'm sure that they will be extremely helpful for Iraia and Hiroshi. Especially as the wolves grow up. Right now they are still cubs though. But that doesn't mean that they won't be helpful given the right situation."

They practiced their Taijutsu for another hour before taking a break. Hanabi looked over to Izaya with a loving and also complicated gaze as she asked, "Izaya...Do you have to go back to that dimension?"

Izaya guiltily smiled as he pulled Hanabi into his embrace. "Well...to be technically honest no...I don't HAVE to. But-" Hanabi cut him off as she interjected with a sigh, "But you want to. Is that it?"

Izaya squeezed a bit tighter as he held Hanabi close to him and said seriously, "Hanabi. I love you more than anything. Tell me no. Not to go. And your wish is my command. I'll stay here with you. And I won't regret it. I promise."

Hanabi fidgeted a bit as she was conflicted inside, but ultimately let out a sigh in defeat. "You're unfair Izaya. You show me so much love and would yield so much just for me. It makes me seem like the bad guy if I tell you not to go. Hmpf."

Izaya smiled softly at her reaction and kissed her neck. "You're too irresistible Hanabi...I think...I might want to lose control again."

Hanabi shuddered in pleasure at the thought but steeled her resolve and reprimanded, "Izaya! I couldn't walk for three days after! The marks you left last time haven't gone away yet. I'm skipping out on the hot spring vacation I was going to go on with Sakura, Ino, and Hinata because I can't undress in front of them. T-They'll know exactly w-what we did that day...It's too embarrassing…So don't even think about starting up again."

Izaya smirked and took a deep breath restraining himself and rested his head on Hanabi's shoulder. "Yes wifey. I am very sorry about that. I will never do that to you again."

Hanabi flinched as she responded, "I-I never said n-never again. I just said not right now…"

Izaya widened his eyes in shock and grinned at Hanabi's cuteness. Hanabi's face flushed red but she quickly reigned in her emotions and brought the topic back to a more serious conversation as she said, "I won't tell you to not go. But I command you to be safe and return alive. You said my wish is your command so now you aren't allowed to die."

Izaya nodded seriously. "I promise. I will return to you and the kids safe and sound." They shared an intimate kiss before they both left to perform their various responsibilities.

As Izaya was walking out of a ninja tool shop he stopped in his tracks and quickly stuck out his hand before his face catching several shuriken in between his fingers. He then quickly threw those shuriken upwards at a peculiar angle deflecting two kunai aimed straight for him causing those kunai to fly backwards and stab two Shadow Clones of Boruto hiding on the roof of the ninja tool shop he was at. Not a moment later Boruto dashed out from the side of the street and shouted, "Amazing! You really are as good as they say you are uncle Izaya!"

Izaya gave Boruto a curious look and replied, "Oi oi, Boruto. I may be your uncle but you do know that I am still the 6th Hokage right? To attack me in broad daylight out in public can be seen as an act of war against Konoha. You know that right?"

Boruto just smiled without care. "It's fine isn't it? I just wanted to see if the rumors were true about how strong you were!"

Izaya just let out a sigh in confusement. "To think that one day I would have to get my skills evaluated by my own nephew...So, I assume you had a purpose for doing all of this?"

Boruto nodded. "Yeah! Please take me on as your disciple!"

A moment of silence passed between them before Izaya furrowed his brow and replied, "Wait...You were serious just now?"

Boruto frowned. "Yeah! Of course I was serious! You know how to perform the Flying Thunder God Jutsu right?! Can you teach me? That Jutsu seemed so awesome!"

Izaya stared at Boruto for a good minute before he started walking away. Boruto quickly followed. Before Boruto could say anything Izaya interjected, "Boruto. First, it's not that I don't want to teach you the Flying Thunder God, but rather you aren't suited to learn it."

Boruto frowned. "Why? What do you mean?"

Izaya just let out a sigh. "Boruto. You need to be a sensory type ninja first of all for this Jutsu to have any practical use. So, are you?"

Boruto frowned. "No."

Izaya nodded at his answer and continued, "And hence you aren't suited to learning it. And that is just the first condition. There are several others that you would have to meet the proficiency level of before you can begin to learn it. Not even your dad the 7th Hokage can use this Jutsu because he doesn't meet those conditions. It doesn't mean Lord 7th is weak or anything it just means he's not suited to learning this Jutsu. Just as you aren't suited to learning this Jutsu. The same reason why I haven't taught this Jutsu to Iraia or Hiroshi. My own son and daughter. Boruto. Remember this well. There are many Jutsu's in the world but there's no point in mastering them all. You only need to focus on the Jutsu's that are suited to yourself and then aim to perfect or elevate those Jutsus. If you can do that then you will become strong. If you waste your time meddling with other Jutsus that aren't suited to you then you'll forever only become an average shinobi if even that. Take Commander Kakashi for example. He is known as the Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi because he has copied over 1000 Jutsus, however does he wield all of those 1000 Jutsus in his arsenal? No. He only utilizes the ones most suited to him and so Kakashi is definitely one of the most top ranked shinobi in the world. Understand?"

Boruto gave it some serious thought as he listened to his uncle before nodding. He looked up at Izaya and questioned, "Then...what about taking me on as a disciple?"

Izaya shook his head. "I'm sorry Boruto. I can't. I already have a disciple."

Boruto widened his eyes in surprise. "Eh? You do? Who is it? Wait, Hiroshi and Iraia don't count though."

Izaya smiled and replied, "It's not Hiroshi or Iraia. Other than Hiroshi and Iraia I don't believe anyone else in your class has met my disciple, but I'm sure you both will meet in due time. The other reason why I can't take you on as my disciple Boruto is because I'm leaving on another mission tomorrow. I won't be here. For now you were just placed in a three-man team and I hear Konohamaru is your Jonin-sensei. Gain some field experience first and learn what you can from Konohamaru. There's a lot you can learn from him I'm sure."

Izaya noticed the frustrated and defeated look on Boruto's face so he smiled and patted Boruto on the shoulder. "Listen Boruto, even though I can't take you on as my disciple that doesn't mean that you can't come to me if you ever feel troubled or if you have a question about Jutsus. Or even anything else for that matter. After all, I'm not only the 6th Hokage, but I am your uncle. We are family."

Boruto smirked at Izaya's attempt to make him feel better and nodded. "Yeah! Then I'll take you up on your offer when the time comes uncle Izaya!" He then dashed off waving goodbye as Izaya just shook his head. "Boruto...I wonder what's going to happen...well...maybe I should help him out. Ah but maybe not yet. He's still a kid. He's got a lot of people who can still help him right now. I need to focus and get back to the Tengu dimension and seal those Divine Trees…"

Izaya woke up early the next day and utilized his Flying Thunder God: Gate Crossing Jutsu to enter the Tengu dimension.

Plop.

He appeared on the mountain side. The exact spot that he was when Senko opened the portal to this dimension. He let out a sigh now that he was back.

_I should just hurry up and get this over with so I can go back. I'll head to the South first before heading up North. _

As Izaya dashed down the mountain he mentally asked, "Senko, how many of these Divine Trees do you think you need before you have a chance to make a portal to the Heavenly Plane?"

Senko gave a thoughtful look before replying, "Maybe four. Maybe five. Hard to say since we don't have one yet. Perhaps only three. Perhaps more. We'll only know once you've sealed them. And it's possible that not all Divine Trees contain the same amount of chakra. Some could have more, some could have less."

Izaya nodded. "A fair assumption."

As he got down to the base of the mountain he started making his way to the South end of the world, however he frowned at what he was sensing all around him.

_It can't be...It just the few days that I was gone this world sure has taken such a drastic turn. All the towns and villages I passed by are either empty or left in complete ruin. Whether they were inhabited by Tengu or Humans it didn't matter. And this feeling...It's war! The Humans and Tengus have finally snapped and it seems they have declared a world war! I'm not sure if this is good or bad for me. Eh? _

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts and immediately halted his steps as he sensed the movement of two earth-shattering chakras. "Heh...Well then...It seems that both the Northern leader and the Southern leader decided to mobilize the Divine Tree as a Ten Tails. Because they ate the fruit from the Tree the Ten Tails thinks that the leaders are a part of it so it allows itself to be controlled by them. I suppose that's just like Kaguya did in the past against Hagoromo and Hamura. Two Ten Tails being mobilized on the battlefield is going to cause catastrophic damage. This war is going to be greater than even the 4th Great Ninja War. How troublesome."

Senko chimed in at that moment. "Well, you could go about it two ways. You could either pretend to join the Human alliance and help them defeat the Tengus and seal away the Ten Tails from the Tengu's side. Then the Human leader called Aseiyo will probably despise you and attack you for sealing it away. That can be reason enough for you to fight back and seal away the Ten Tails from the Human faction."

Izaya contemplated for a moment. "So use the Human faction to help weaken and distract the Tengu faction giving me a chance to seal away the Ten Tails. Then let Aseiyo attack me giving me reason to defend myself and seal away his Ten Tails. Sounds plausible. What is the second option?"

"The second option is that you simply wait for both Tengus and Humans to fight out this war and weaken each other. Once it seems that one faction is about to win you enter as the sole third party of the war and steal the Ten Tails before the winning faction can claim it for themselves. Then you fight to claim the last remaining Ten Tails."

Izaya furrowed his brow in contemplation. "Both have merits and detriments. If I go with option one I can't reveal too much of my power in case it raises eyes and suspicion. Aseiyo might attack me if he thinks I'm a threat to his position. If I go with option two I won't have any control over how weak or strong of a state the winning faction will be left in. But either way both options will take time."

Senko nodded. "Mn. Agreed. But if time is of a factor for you then I suggest you go with option one. At least you can have some influence over the speed of the war if you participate and you can have some influence over how strong the winning faction should be left in."

Izaya nodded. "Then I suppose the decision has been made. Option one it is." Izaya turned towards the North and dashed in the direction of the Human faction.

_Sigh. War...I wonder what Hanabi and the kids are up to? I miss them already…_

**888 **

About a month came and went as the new Genins performed missions alongside their Jonin-senseis racking up as much field experience as they could. At this time Neji gritted his teeth and dodged a palm strike from Asuka. He then jumped up and expertly avoided being ensnared by Hiroshi's Wood Style before thrusting out his palm and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" A powerful airwave deflected the several shuriken aimed at him from Iraia.

He was currently performing a rigorous training exercise with his students to get them in shape before the Chunin Exams as they were coming up very soon. Just as Neji landed on the ground Asuka appeared beside him and kicked at his knee joint.

Bam!

Asuka was just about to celebrate her success when she realized that Neji had substituted himself out for a log. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Iraia and Hiroshi saw exactly where Neji had disappeared to thanks to their Byakugan so Hiroshi quickly formed the Snake sign and shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" He extended his right arm straight in the direction of Neji's hiding spot as a wooden snake quickly dashed forwards with its mouth and fangs wide open. Neji furrowed his brow and quickly spun shouting, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" A brilliant blue sphere of chakra shielded him from Hiroshi's attack and knocked his wooden snake to the side. It was then that Iraia appeared above Neji and just as she was about to reach Neji's spinning defensive circle she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Whoosh!

Iraia expertly spun in the opposite direction that Neji spun as the two opposite spinning vortices ground against each other effectively canceling the other out. Neji widened his eyes with extreme shock at the unorthodox, brilliant, and creative way that Iraia used to neutralize his Jutsu. It was then that Hiroshi utilized his Wood Style to erupt beneath Neji prompting him to dash backwards just in time to dodge Hiroshi's technique. He avoided jumping up because Iraia was still above him. It was then that Neji said, "Gentle Fist Body Blow!" He forced his chakra into his tenketsu points and expelled it outside of his body generating a powerful air blow that blocked Asuka's incoming attack at his blindspot. Asuka was shocked and quickly placed both arms in a cross before her to guard against Neji's counter strike.

Bam!

She was forced flying through the air uncontrollably. Hiroshi's heart skipped a beat as he quickly created a wooden bush to appear behind Asuka catching and softening her landing so she wouldn't crash into the hard stone wall behind her. Hiroshi let out a sigh of relief at his success. At that moment Neji relaxed his stance and said, "Mn. We'll end training here. I'm impressed. You three have only gotten better and better and better. In a few more months I don't know if I'd be able to keep up with you three anymore."

Hiroshi smiled half-heartedly, "Sensei, no need to be so modest. We know you're strong. In a few more months we probably still won't be able to beat you."

Neji laughed but shook his head. "I appreciate your confidence in me Hiroshi, but actually I'm speaking the truth. After all the missions we've been on I've seen how much the three of you have grown. Not just individually but as a team. You three may have grown up together but gathering work experience and live battle experience together is different. You three have built a strong foundation for the future. Mn. You three will go far. Hiroshi, your ability to support your teammates and hinder your targets are top notch. That means you have a supreme awareness of the battlefield and your surroundings. Excellent work. Iraia, your skill level is incredibly high as a shinobi. You know how to search and probe at your targets to find their weaknesses and then exploit them to your advantage. You even have the creative mind to utilize your Jutsus in ways that can leave your opponents speechless creating opportunities for you teammates to take advantage of. And Asuka, your speed is unmatched. You utilize your speed and close combat skills to apply the pressure on your target so they would lose focus on what your teammates are doing."

Asuka clicked her tongue as she jumped down from the wooden bush and said, "Sensei, I know the Byakugan lets you have a near perfect vision all around you but I attacked from your one blindspot so how did you know to defend against me?"

Neji smiled. "That is a matter of experience. Which you will continue to gain in time. As you know the Byakugan lets me have a near perfect field of vision. Since I didn't see you all around me I knew that you were probably aiming for my blindspot. I just had to create a defense that would block against your attack."

Asuka crossed her arms in defeat. "Hmpf. Next time."

Iraia raised her eyebrow slightly at Asuka's actions.

_Next time? Is Hiroshi's personality unknowingly rubbing off on her? _

Neji just smiled and stretched his arms as he said, "Well, the three of you keep up with your training okay? The Chunin Exams is in three days and I've already recommended you three to take it. Make sure to focus and just do your best."

The three Genin's nodded as they walked home.


	8. Chunin Exams

Chapter 8

The day of the Chunin Exams finally arrived as all the Chunin candidates gathered around the village square. Genins from all the villages slowly trickled in as Hiroshi, Asuka, and Iraia watched and waited. There were many candidates this time around including those from Konoha such as Denki, Iwabe, and Metal forming a team. Another team in the vicinity was Inojin, Shikadai, and Chohco.

Sarada, Mitsuki, and Boruto were also present. As Hiroshi conversed amiably with Boruto and the others he suddenly heard the shout of an all too familiar voice.

"Hiroshi! We meet again! This time I'll win!"

Hiroshi inwardly panicked and awkwardly turned around to face who it was. It was a boy around his age who had medium length black wavy hair and green eyes. He wore a dark red short sleeved haori and a black long sleeved t-shirt with matching red pants. The Iwagakure forehead protector was worn on his head.

Boruto gave a confused look and nudged Hiroshi asking, "Oi, Hiroshi. You know this guy?"

Hiroshi just awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Er...Haha...I do...This is Koen. Kaguya Koen. His dad is uncle Kimimaro and his mom is the 4th Tsuchikage."

"EEEHHHH?!" Everyone around him exclaimed in shock.

Koen smirked at everyone's reaction and replied, "Hahaha! It's nice to meet you all! Let's all do our best and battle it out! And this time, I will win Hiroshi! Oh, where's Iraia? I need to settle our score as well!" As Iraia heard Koen call out her name she just inwardly sighed but kept her expressionless face pretending not to see him. Koen turned and looked around scanning the crowd for her until finally he took note of the all too familiar snow white hair. He ran over and said, "Iraia! Long time no see!"

Unable to avoid Koen she simply turned around and said emotionlessly, "Oh, Koen. Hi." She then turned and walked off standing by Sarada and Asuka. Koen just clenched his fist in determination lost in his thoughts. _Gah! She's still as beautiful as I remembered! But even still I won't lose to her next time! Or Hiroshi! _

Shikadai, Boruto, Inojin, Iwabe, and Denki just gave Koen a strange look in confusion as they turned to Hiroshi for an explanation. Boruto broke the silence as he asked, "Oi. What's his deal Hiroshi?"

Hiroshi just let out a long drawn out sigh. "Well...He just likes to battle that's all. Out of all the ninja villages Iraia and I are most familiar with Iwagakure because dad used to take us there all the time when we were little to visit uncle Kimimaro. Koen would always challenge us to a sparring match at any chance that he could get. That's all. He's not a bad guy or anything. Maybe just a bit eccentric."

"Ehhhh…" Everyone simply let out. Inojin then asked, "He said something about not losing to you or Iraia this time. Does that mean he lost the last time you guys fought?"

Hiroshi simply nodded. "Yeah. Let's see the last time we fought was probably 4 years ago. That was a long time ago so we definitely weren't as skilled then as we are now, but still it leaves me with 10 wins and he has 0. As for Iraia she has 5 wins and Koen has 0."

"Ehhhhh…" Everyone let out again.

Iwabe then chimed in, "Heh. Then I guess he's not that big of a deal huh?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "You're wrong. Koen is strong. At least, he definitely has the potential to become a top class shinobi."

Everyone widened their eyes in shock at Hiroshi's words as Shikadai asked, "What do you mean?"

Hiroshi stared seriously at Koen in the distance before replying, "We were really young back then so we weren't that skilled yet. But I have no doubt that Koen has rapidly improved his skills. Dad told me that if I underestimate him and slack off on my training then I'll lose badly to him one day. And that's because dad said that Koen has an incredibly rare Kekkei Tota."

"EHHHH?!" This time everyone was shocked to the extreme. Before anyone could say anything they heard another voice.

"Don't worry about that too much. I'll keep my big brother in check."

Everyone turned around to see another young boy who was probably about a year younger than them. He had shoulder length white hair and black colored eyes. He wore a short sleeved gray haori with a large dark red sash tied around his waist and he wore dark red pants to match. His Iwagakure forehead protector was worn on his head.

Hiroshi widened his eyes in pleasant surprise and walked up to this new Genin patting him on the shoulder amiably as he said, "Kaito! I knew you'd be here since your brother was. It's good to see you again." Hiroshi then turned to everyone and said, "Guys, let me introduce you. This is Kaguya Kaito. He's Koen's younger brother. He's only younger than us by a year."

Kaito nodded his head acknowledging everyone and said, "Hello everyone. I hope we can get along. And...please excuse my big brother. He's just very energetic."

Everyone smiled and nodded at Kaito's words but were inwardly shocked how different the personality between Kaito and his brother Koen was. Kaito observed the surroundings and noticed Iraia so he silently waved to her. Iraia took note and nodded in his direction acknowledging Kaito's presence as she, Sarada, Chocho, and Asuka walked over. Hiroshi then asked, "Kaito, if you and Koen are on a team then who's your third member?"

Kaito smiled and pointed to a shinobi who was slowly making his way to the village square in the distance. Immediately many of the kunoichi in the surrounding area took note of this new shinobi and started fidgeting. Chocho widened her eyes and commented, "He's gorgeous! He's tall and handsome! The all black clothing makes him seem mysterious and that golden cloak makes him more desirable. The katana by his waist makes him feel dangerous! Who is he?! I wonder if he likes potato chips!"

Even Sarada couldn't help but take a second glance with a bit of intrigue, however she was instantly confused because she saw the Konoha forehead protector that was tied around the hilt of this newcomers katana so she inquired, "That's your third teammate? But why does he have a Konoha forehead protector instead of an Iwagakure one?"

Hiroshi furrowed his brow just as confused because he knew who this was so he turned to Kaito and asked, "Kaito. Can you explain the situation a bit? Why is Zen on your team?"

At Hiroshi's words everyone was also confused as it seemed Hiroshi knew him. Boruto tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "Hiroshi, you know who that is?"

Hiroshi nodded. "That's Yagami Zen. He's the personal disciple of my dad."

"EEHHHHHH?!" Once again everyone was left speechless. Boruto narrowed his eyes as he carefully studied Zen and recalled that uncle Izaya had mentioned having a disciple already.

_So that is uncle Izaya's disciple? Tch. I wonder how strong he is. Even though uncle Izaya wasn't able to accept me as a disciple uncle Sasuke did. _

It was then that Kaito finally responded. "Mn. Zen is still a Konohagakure shinobi. He's not joining us as an Iwagakure shinobi. A couple years ago when Lord 6th Hokage took Zen to visit our village he was talking to mom and dad about something. After hearing them out Lord 6th made some sort of suggestion to them and in the end I guess they came to a consensus. I don't know what they really talked about, I just know that they agreed to let Zen join Koen and I to take the Chunin Exams as a team. According to dad there isn't a rule stating that a shinobi of one village needs to participate with shinobi from their own village. They just need a viable team or some form of approval from the Kage's. And since this is the era of the ASF it's not unreasonable for a team like this. At least that's how dad explained it to me. Plus he said something about Zen's circumstance being unique. I suppose you, Hiroshi would know a bit more about it than I would. All in all Koen and I have gotten to know Zen pretty well over the past couple weeks. He's not a bad guy."

Everyone simply nodded and accepted Kaito's explanation. Iraia however was inwardly surprised at Zen's appearance on Kaito and Koen's team. She and Zen made eye contact before they both quickly averted their eyes not knowing why. Asuka nudged Iraia's side and whispered, "Hey, Iraia. He's the personal disciple of Lord 6th right? Can you introduce us?"

Iraia slightly flinched at Asuka's request but nodded. To their surprise Zen walked over to them first and stood in front of them. A moment of silence passed by as he wasn't sure what to say exactly. It was Iraia who spoke first as she stepped to the side a bit and said, "It's good to see you again...Zen. This is my teammate and friend, Yuki Asuka."

Zen nodded and acknowledged Asuka's presence as he replied, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He then returned his focus on Iraia. Asuka and the other Kunoichi in the area felt their hearts skip a beat at the sound of Zen's voice as they all had the same thought. _His voice sounds like a deep and soothing but dangerous lullaby. I can listen to him talk all day. _

Zen slightly panicked inside as his brain wasn't working. He didn't know what to say. The longer he stood there in silence the more awkward he was making the situation so he quickly said, "It's nice to see you again. Iraia." He then turned toward Kaito and Hiroshi and walked over to them as fast as he could without making it look like he was rushing. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow questioningly at Zen but just shrugged his shoulders.

It wasn't long after before Shikamaru arrived and gave the introductions for the exams. And it wasn't long before the time of the very first Exam began. As everyone stood next to their teammates Sai stood up on a stage to address everyone as the first exams proctor. "I will now explain the first round. Round one is...A true or false quiz!"

"EEHHHHHH?!" Immediately everyone was completely and utterly shocked. Sai just smiled and continued, "The question will be given 20km away from here at venue B. Any Genin who doesn't make it within one hour of this stop watch to the venue will be disqualified. Furthermore traps have been laid-" Instead of listening to Sai explain more of the details some of the Genin had already realized that the timer in Sai's hand had already begun to count down so they quickly ran and made their way to venue B. As Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka dashed through the forest heading to the venue they expertly dodged, parried, and disarmed all the traps set up along the way to hinder them. Just as they reached a clearing in the forest several tens of puppets appeared with kunai guns as it aimed it right at them.

Hiroshi simply smirked and placed his hands together saying, "Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Immediately wooden vines erupted beneath those puppets and tore them apart leaving nothing left. It wasn't long before they made it to the venue, however, to their surprise they weren't the first ones. The first ones were actually Koen, Kaito, and Zen. After a minute or two many others began showing up at the venue. As the one hour time limit ended all those who didn't make it to the venue were disqualified.

Sai then stood on the podium at the venue and pulled down a drape revealing a giant X and O and proceeded to explain, "Now that you're all here, I will explain how this quiz works. You and your team of three will stand on either the X for false or the O for true depending on what you three decide is the correct answer. Those who answer incorrectly, specifically those who turn black will fail. Now here is the question. In the 5th volume of the the shinobi military strategy handbook the following passwords appear. Moon is day. Mountain is river. Flower is nectar. True or false? You have 3 minutes to make your selection."

Everyone began to discuss and some began to panic. At this moment Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka nodded as they walked over to the false platform. Right after everyone made their choice Sai smirked and revealed the answer, however everyone was confused as both the true and false answers showed up on screen. Without time for anyone to react the platform beneath them disintegrated revealing a giant hole with black ink at the bottom causing everyone to fall. Iraia frowned and quickly said, "Hiroshi."

Hiroshi nodded in understanding and placed his hands together activating his Wood Style. A large wood tendril erupted from the side of the wall and quickly wrapped itself around him, Iraia, and Asuka before pulling them close to the walls edge stopping them from falling.

Asuka breathed out a sigh of relief and commented, "Nice going!"

Hiroshi just smiled brightly at Asuka's praise. They watched as many others used their own way to save themselves from falling and watched as many others also failed. As Koen, Kaito, and Zen were falling Koen quickly activated an Earth Style Jutsu creating a platform for them to land on safely. Soon after Sai congratulated those who didn't fall into the ink pool as passing, finally ending the first round of the Chunin exams.

The second round took place three days later as every team of three was placed against another team of three in a game of capture the flag. Each team had to not only protect their own flag, but successfully steal the other team's flag. At this moment Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka were facing off against Zen, Koen, and Kaito. Both sides geared up for battle as the start of their game finally began. Asuka looked at the twins and asked, "So, what's the plan of attack? Koen and Kaito aren't going to be easy pickings. And you both said that Zen is the personal disciple of uncle Izaya. That means he's got to be strong."

Hiroshi thought for a moment and replied, "I'll stay behind and guard the flag. With my ability it'll be easier to hinder and fight either a single opponent or multiple opponents. Either way I can stall for time or defeat my opponent. Asuka, with your speed you go for the flag. Iraia you should back her up."

They both nodded and agreed that Hiroshi's plan was a good one and quickly went into action. In but a few minutes as Hiroshi stood by the flag both Kaito and Koen appeared before him causing Hiroshi to grin. "So Kaito, Koen, looks like it's you two eh?" He then grit his teeth and shouted, "Bring it on!"

Meanwhile Zen stood by his own flag in waiting. It didn't take long before he took note of a shuriken aimed straight at him. He quickly unsheathed his sword and blocked the incoming attack, however that moment of distraction was enough for Asuka to utilize her Swift Style to greatly enhance her speed and grab the flag. She then landed on the far end of the roof in triumph and smirked at her and Iraia's success, however Iraia saw things play out differently as she was instantly shocked. What had actually happened was that the moment Asuka stepped foot on the roof of the building she had stopped moving and was completely still. Iraia quickly activated her Byakugan and noticed how Asuka's chakra was completely disrupted.

_Genjutsu?! Incredible! What kind of Genjutsu trap is this? Asuka doesn't even realize that she's been trapped._

Without wasting any time Iraia quickly placed her palms together and gathered the chakra in her body. Just as she set foot on the roof she immediately stopped the flow of her chakra before quickly flaring it up and shouted, "Release!" Due to her action the Genjutsu trap that was in place was dispelled. She quickly arrived by Asuka's side and released her from the Genjutsu as well. Asuka quickly came back to her senses and was shocked. "W-What happened? Didn't I get the flag already? No way! Genjutsu? How?"

Both Iraia and Asuka looked over where Zen was who still simply stood by the flag. He took note of their arrival and simply nodded his head acknowledging their presence. Iraia bit the bottom of her lip unsure of how to proceed.

_So this is the strength of papa's disciple? To think that his Genjutsu skills are on this level. It'll be dangerous to engage him in a prolonged form of combat. If he can capture Asuka in a Genjutsu from just her stepping on the roof then there's no telling what other kinds of Genjutsu he could use. I'm not sure how he is in Ninjutsu as well so best to engage him in Taijutsu and not give him a chance to weave hand signs. _

Without wasting anymore time Iraia activated her Sharingan as well and dashed straight at Zen engaging him in Taijutsu. Zen felt a strange emotion of pain and warmth as he fought Iraia in Taijutsu and saw her activate her Sharingan. It pained him that he knew how she had awakened the Sharingan. He also felt conflicted because after he confirmed that Iraia was truly the same little girl that he met all those years ago when they were kids he had resolved himself to do his best to protect her. He vowed that he would never let her be in that same kind of position again. The position where she had to shield him and take the hits and beating and torture that should have been his. He grit his teeth and dodged, parried, and defended against her every strike. He recalled how his sensei said that Iraia was better than him at Taijutsu two years ago. He did his best to improve his Taijutsu and he did, however his skill was still just a bit short of that against Iraia's as he felt the pressure weighing down on him. Add on to the fact that he wasn't using his Sharingan and Iraia was and he also didn't want to attack her. Just as he dodged a palm strike to his head he was surprised because that move of Iraia's was actually a feint for her kick which connected against his leg causing him to fall towards the ground. Before he could hit the ground he thrust out his arm and pushed off the ground thrusting his body into a horizontal twirling motion through the air and landed back on his feet. It was then that Asuka successfully grabbed the flag, however the flag in her hands suddenly turned into nothing but air as several dozens of flags appeared on the rooftop. This time both Iraia and Asuka widened their eyes in shock as they realized it was another Genjutsu.

Asuka gritted her teeth and said in seriousness, "Iraia, can you dispel this Genjutsu with your Sharingan to find the real flag?"

Iraia frowned but nodded. "I can, but it'll take a few moments."

Asuka nodded. "I'll leave it to you." She then dashed out with incredible speed and engaged Zen in close combat. Zen was greatly shocked at Asuka's speed and could barely keep up, especially since he wasn't utilizing his Sharingan. After defending and blocking several dozens of Asuka's punches the pressure on him was finally too much and so he finally activated his Sharingan. Asuka widened her eyes with extreme shock at the revelation that Zen also wielded the Sharingan, however it was too late for her as she realized her mistake. She had made eye contact. Although it was only very brief it was enough for Zen to place her under an ocular Genjutsu, but it was also at this moment that Iraia dispelled the Genjutsu placed on the flag and gripped the real flag raising it high in the air. A loud sound blared in the area signaling their victory. Zen just let out a sigh and smiled warmly at the sight of Iraia holding the flag before he deactivated his Sharingan and released Asuka from the Genjutsu he placed her in. Iraia, however didn't miss the fact that Zen possessed the Sharingan as well. She had a complicated mix of emotions inside her at that moment.

_Sharingan? Why does Zen have the Sharingan? Didn't papa say that Zen is from the Sage continent? W-Wait...D-Don't tell me...I-Is he actually papa's...No! No papa would never betray mom like that! What am I thinking! Papa wouldn't do that to us. Papa loves mom and Hiroshi and I so much. He tells us all the time. Even if papa isn't always around. B-But then why?...I-Is this why papa took Zen on as a disciple? What's happening...I-I don't understand._

Zen felt conflicted at this moment as he stared at Iraia's facial expression turn from one of joy at her success in taking the flag to one of internal distress. And he knew why. She had seen his Sharingan and had become confused. Asuka had begun asking Zen some questions but whatever she said went through one ear and out the other as Zen couldn't concentrate on Asuka. At this moment he only saw the sadness in Iraia's facial expression and eyes. He let out a soft breath and quickly walked beside her. He was a good head taller than her so he slightly bent down near her ear just so she could hear and whispered, "It's not what you think. Karasuma-sensei never betrayed your family. I've already lost both of my parents." After having said that he quickly disappeared.

_Idiot. Am I an idiot? I should have stayed behind and made sure that I explained properly. What if I just confuse her more. Tch. This is why I didn't want to use my Sharingan against her. But now that she knows what if she questions why I didn't use my Sharingan against her? Will she think that I was looking down on her? I wasn't. Damn it. Why am I bad at forming relationships? Sensei...how did you do it? I hope you return soon sensei...safe and sound. _

As Zen had disappeared leaving Asuka and Iraia behind Iraia had inwardly flinched at what Zen had said to her and felt guilty.

_Wait...So Zen isn't papa's...then papa never betrayed mom and us? I'm an idiot. How could I have ever doubted papa like that! A-And was it that obvious about what I was thinking that Zen knew? He said that his parent's are already gone...I'm horrible...for doubting papa. For suspecting Zen. I want to apologize…_

While Iraia and Asuka started to make their way back to Hiroshi he had finally plopped down on the floor completely exhausted. He laid down on the hard ground as the entire building and roof where the flag was placed was completely destroyed at this point. It was filled with a mix of trees, bushes, vines, rock walls, boulders, and bones. Hiroshi just heaved completely out of breath and said, "What-..The...Hell! You both...are crazy...strong!" Hiroshi let out as he struggled to control his breathing.

Koen and Kaito were also breathing rapidly, however they had a much easier time as it was two on one after all. They also stared at Hiroshi with a bit of shock as Koen said, "Damn you Hiroshi! I wanted to settle our score! To think that you've gotten good at stalling. That Byakugan of yours made it hard for us to hide from you and perform sneak attacks. And your control over your Wood Style improved so much!"

Hiroshi just smirked before saying, "Heh! Actually I have to thank you both for making it easier on me. Kaito you didn't really try since Koen insisted on settling the score against me. Thanks to that it was actually more of a one on one with an attack from Kaito every now and then. And plus neither of you used your more powerful killing techniques. How come? If you did I wouldn't have been able to protect the flag."

Kaito shook his head and replied, "We don't want to kill you Hiroshi. We're friends after all. Plus, our dad told us that we should never use those techniques unless it is to protect the people we care about. And our skill with the techniques aren't so great yet where if something goes wrong we can stop it at will. That's why."

It didn't take long for Iraia and Asuka to arrive back at Hiroshi's side. Soon after all of the matches had ended signaling the completion of the second round. Those who had passed were Team 11, Team 7, Team Shinki, and Team 10. The next day early in the morning Hanabi walked towards the arena where the final round of the exam was being held alongside Hiroshi and Iraia. Hiroshi took a sweep of the surroundings but pouted a bit as he remarked disappointedly, "Cheh…"

Hanabi noticed this and simply grabbed Hiroshi's hands and held it in hers as they walked. Hiroshi's face turned beet red as he said, "Mom! T-This is embarrassing!"

Hanabi just smiled and held Iraia's hands in hers too as she said, "Now now. Can't a mother just hold the hands of her children?"

Iraia didn't say anything nor did the expressionless look on her face change, however she was inwardly happy. Hiroshi just grumbled but let it be. Hanabi smiled at them. "I know. You miss your father. He's been gone for a few weeks. I'm sorry kids. I don't know where he is right now but you know him. He's probably off saving the world somewhere. I know you wish he was here to watch you both, I wish he was here too. But don't forget, your dad is always with you no matter how far he may be. You both wear the necklace that he gave you right? It bears your father's Flying Thunder God Mark so he can always reach you in just an instant. And besides, he'd probably be smothering you both with so much love in broad daylight in front of all your friends and the other villages that you'd be embarrassed to death right? So your father being with you in spirit isn't so bad huh?"

Hiroshi gave his mom's words some thought before his face turned more red at the thought that Izaya really would probably be shouting very loudly and cheering him on in the stands and quickly nodded. "Yeah yeah you're probably right mom. Ugh...Dad probably would go a bit overboard with the whole cheering thing."

Hanabi smiled and said, "Plus, your father gave you both a Summoning Contract right?"

Hiroshi and Iraia smiled as they thought about Kuro and Shiro and nodded. Hanabi squeezed their hands encouragingly. "See. Your father loves you both. He didn't even give me a Summoning Contract. Your father is always thinking about you two and he loves you so even though he's not here right now, we should do the best we can so he doesn't need to worry when he gets back home okay?"

"Mn!" Hiroshi and Iraia nodded.

Hanabi nodded in approval at their reaction. "Alright. Just go out there and do your best okay? It doesn't matter what the outcome is. Remember what your father taught you both?"

Hiroshi and Iraia nodded as they replied, "As long as we do not forget where our heart is supposed to be, we will never lose our way. And what matters most is that we stay true to our ninja way."

Hanabi smiled lovingly at her kids as she bent down and quickly gave them both a hug before saying, "Alright. Go on. I'm sure Asuka is already waiting for you both. I'll be watching from the stands okay."

Hiroshi and Iraia nodded as they hugged their mom back before dashing off to find Asuka. It wasn't long before all the participating Genin that made it this far had gathered in the waiting hall they were assigned. All those that made it this far included Shikadai, Inojin, Chocho, Iraia, Asuka, Hiroshi, Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Shinki, Araya, and Yodo. The final part of the exam consisted of a tournament style individual battle with three rounds and three brackets meaning in the final round it was to be a three way battle between the winners of each bracket.

In the first round the first bracket matchups were Boruto vs. Shikadai and Iraia vs. Yodo. In the second bracket the matchups were Sarada vs. Araya and Hiroshi vs. Inojin. And the third bracket matchups were Asuka vs. Chocho and Shinki vs. Mitsuki. As Boruto and Shikadai's match was going on everyone else was watching on the monitor screen while waiting in their respective rooms. Iraia watched the battle but frowned a bit in confusion. She didn't quite understand what was going on. At first the match had seemed quite even, but it wasn't long before Shikadai had actually managed to outwit Boruto and trap him in a circle of pure shadow capturing Boruto in the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. To Iraia it seemed that the match should have ended, however Boruto had somehow managed to produce an extra clone while he was caught and throw Shikadai off granting Boruto the win.

_This doesn't seem right? I've been classmates with Boruto for a long time and I've seen him battle before. He already utilized the max amount of Clones he can make at one time and Shikadai captured them all. He shouldn't have enough chakra to make another. On top of that I didn't even see him weave the sign for the Clone. In fact, since he was caught it should have been impossible for him to weave the Clone sign...unless Boruto has truly mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu so well that he no longer needs to form the hand sign to mold chakra for the Jutsu. I suppose that might be possible. After all, I'm sure he's been improving after all this time as well. And the Shadow Clone does seem to be a favorite of his. _

Iraia was snapped out of her thoughts as Rock Lee, who was the proctor of the exam declared Boruto as the winner. Iraia didn't spend anymore time thinking too much about it as her match was next. As she walked out onto the arena she took note of her opponent Yodo. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and had ear-pods in her ears. Just like Iraia she wore an expressionless face as they both stared at each other. Without wasting time for words Lee got right to it and started the match. Yodo remained unmoving so Iraia decided to make her move first. Instantly she activated her Byakugan, however this move greatly startled Yodo and caused alarm bells to ring in her head. Iraia then dashed out and struck with a palm strike forcing Yodo to perform a backflip to escape, however Iraia didn't let up as she expertly kept pace with Yodo's movements. In fact Iraia was much faster and much more nimble than Yodo putting the pressure on Yodo's defenses. As Yodo got frustrated she realized that she couldn't take her opponent lightly and jumped in the air to distance herself from Iraia. She then removed her hood and earbuds before gripping her hair and slammed it in the direction of Iraia generating a powerful airwave of high frequency. Iraia simply pulled back her palm before thrusting out a powerful strike as she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

BAM!

Iraia's powerful air thrust slammed into Yodo's airwave of high frequency causing both techniques to cancel out. Yodo gritted her teeth at her failed attack, however Iraia inwardly smirked and threw several shuriken straight at Yodo who was still airborne. Yodo frowned at this new development and forced her body to tip backwards in order to avoid the shuriken aimed at her, however this was a fatal mistake as her position left her vulnerable. Just as she completed her flip midair to reface Iraia she widened her eyes with extreme shock because Iraia was right in front of her. Iraia simply expressionlessly said, "Eight Trigrams 16 Palms."

Bam!

Yodo had her tenketsus struck instantly feeling weakened, but Iraia didn't stop there as she said, "32 Palms." Yodo felt weaker and weaker with every strike as her ability to build up and mold chakra was halted from having her tenketsus sealed. Yodo simply fell from the air listlessly and laid flat on the ground struggling to move any part of her limbs. Iraia quickly arrived before her and placed a kunai to her throat prompting Lee to end the match and declare Iraia the victor. The crowd shouted and cheered as the Five Kage's sat at the highest point of the arena stadium. Gaara let out a sigh as he watched Yodo, who was from his village be defeated by Iraia and commented, "As expected of the 6th Hokage's daughter. She's quite powerful. To think that she has awakened her Byakugan and mastered it to this extent already."

Darui simply smirked in amusement. "So the son of the 7th Hokage and the daughter of the 6th Hokage have made it through round 1. But now in round two they will face off against each other. That will be quite the match. What do you think 7th Hokage? Any predictions?"

Naruto simply scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and shook his head. "I can't really say. We'll just have to watch and see how things turn out."

Kurotsuchi just smiled at Naruto's comment before commenting herself. "She could end up being just as much of a monster as the 6th Hokage."

Chojuro smirked at Kurotsuchi's remark before chiming in, "Well let's just wait and see. Boruto seems to show a lot of promise as well. And don't forget, the 6th Hokage's son is also participating in the Exams. By the way 7th Hokage, where is the 6th?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh. "I don't really know. Like Sasuke Lord 6th has been going off searching for clues on the Otsutsuki clan. Not only that but the Jashinists as well. It's possible that he's already off-world."

The Five Kage were brought out of their thoughts as the next bracket match had begun. Sarada fought a fierce battle against the puppet user Araya from Sunagakure. After Sarada discovered Araya's trick at using a puppet in the fight she made quick work of him afterwards gaining her the win. Hiroshi's match was next as he walked onto the stage facing Inojin.

Inojin smiled with seriousness as he said, "Hiroshi, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you. I know you can use the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai but I'm going to show you that I can beat it!"

Hiroshi smiled back with just as much enthusiasm and replied, "Yeah! Give me your best Inojin!"

At Lee's signal the match began. Inojin quickly drew in his scroll creating a bunch of green colored birds that flew straight at Hiroshi. Hiroshi quickly formed the hand seals of Rat, Dog, and Tiger as he said, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" Thick wooden branches quickly erupted from the ground and completely surrounded Hiroshi inside protecting him from Inojin's birds. Some explosions could be heard on the outside as Inojin had hidden some paper bombs within his bird drawings, however the bombs failed to breach Hiroshi's defense. Not a moment later Hiroshi activated his Byakugan allowing him to see outside of his wooden dome and track Inojin's movements. He then formed the signs of Ram and Snake shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" As Inojin was preparing another drawing thinking of a way to break through Hiroshi's wooden dome he widened his eyes in shock as the surrounding arena began to change. Small trees, vines, and bushes began to grow about in the area as they spread towards him trying to hold and bind him.

Inojin frowned and quickly dashed around as he drew a large bird in his scroll and shouted, "Super Beast Scroll!" The bird came to life as he jumped on it letting him escape the now garden filled arena. Hiroshi frowned racking his brain for an idea. He then smirked as one came to him and quickly formed the Clone hand sign saying, "Wood Clone Jutsu." Instantly a wooden clone separated itself from his body and dashed outside of the wooden dome.

Inojin stared down at the arena with great focus as he thought about what to do next.

_Damn Hiroshi. He's gotten even stronger. Since when did he have a technique like that Garden thing? And how can he see me to coordinate an attack with those trees, vines, and bushes while he's inside that dome? Wait...Don't tell me he also awakened the Byakugan like Iraia did? Tsk. It would make sense since he's Iraia's twin and Iraia can use it. Dang it._

It was at this moment that Inojin saw Hiroshi exit the wooden dome and dash outside. Inojin smirked and controlled all the drawings that he had hidden behind some bushes and trees to activate. Several tens of different animal paintings rushed towards Hiroshi as Hiroshi frowned and placed his hands together shouting, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" He extended both of his hands outwards creating two wooden snakes as they dashed around him biting into and piercing through all the animal drawings destroying them. He then attached paper bombs to several kunai and threw them into the air forcing Inojin to weave and swerve in the air to dodge. The smoke cloud obscured Inojin's sight, however due to Hiroshi's Byakugan he saw perfectly fine. He threw a kunai successfully piercing through the bird Inojin was on causing him to fall back to the ground.

Just as Inojin touched the ground Hiroshi dashed out at him, however Inojin smirked and shouted, "Super Beast Scroll!" From the shadows of the trees appeared several tens of painted snakes that were completely black in color allowing them to remain hidden. Those snakes quickly and expertly wrapped themselves around Hiroshi binding him in place. Just as Inojin walked up to Hiroshi and placed a kunai by his neck Inojin paused as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his forehead. There was a kunai placed by his neck as Inojin heard Hiroshi's voice, "That was pretty good Inojin. So what do you say we call it a day?"

Inojin smiled in defeat as he stared in shock at the wooden Hiroshi he had captured. "Hiroshi, I didn't know you could perform the Wood Clone Jutsu. You got me. I give up."

Hiroshi nodded and smiled goofily as he and Inojin shook hands and walked off stage together. The last bracket battles had finally begun as Mitsuki fought Shinki in the arena in a fierce battle. Asuka watched the match carefully as her match was after. If she won against Chocho then she would be battling the winner of the current match. She furrowed her brows as she observed how Shinki's iron sand seemed nearly impenetrable. It granted him near perfect defense and near perfect offense. On top of that when he hit Mitsuki with his fist he was able to magnetize a part of Mitsuki's body to ensure that his next attack would hit. That was when Mitsuki had conceded the match. Asuka only continued to frown as she tried to think of how she would counter Shinki's iron sand, however she snapped out of her thoughts and walked towards the arena as her match was next.

_Well, I have to get through Chocho first. Guess I can only go with the flow…_

Soon she stood on the arena facing opposite Chocho as Lee signaled the start of their match. Chocho immediately activated her Partial Expansion Jutsu enlarging both of her fists and punched out towards Asuka, however Asuka's speed was simply too fast. She arrived in front of Chocho and struck.

Bam!

Asuka didn't stop there as she continued to move around Chocho striking at every muscle and pressure joint weakening Chocho's physical control over her body. After nearly 30 hits Chocho finally collapsed on the ground huffing and panting feeling completely weak in the arms and legs. Asuka didn't let her utilize any of her other techniques. Lee soon declared Asuka the victor ending the first round of the tournament matchups.

As Haku was watching in the stands with Akane he clenched his fist with excitement and wanted to shout and cheer, but before he could Akane stood up first and shouted, "Asuka! Good Job! Do it just like that next time too!"

It was then that Haku felt a bit embarrassed and realized that shouting out loud wasn't his style, but he couldn't help smiling in joy at Asuka's victory. Asuka's cheeks turned red in embarrassment when she heard her mom cheering for her so she quickly waved at them before dashing out of the arena as fast as she could. The second round started soon after with the first match being Iraia vs. Boruto. As they both stood on the arena floor the wild cheers and shouts in the stands created a powerful energy of high expectations, however both Boruto and Iraia drowned out the noise as they stared at each other. Boruto felt a bit of pressure on him as he knew how strong Iraia was but he smirked in the end and said, "Heh, just because you're my cousin doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you Iraia. I'm going to win. No I have to win. I'm not going down here."

Iraia furrowed her brow and replied, "Strong words Boruto, but you still have to get past me."

Boruto gritted his teeth in seriousness as Lee then signaled for the match to start. Boruto dashed straight at Iraia engaging her in close quarter combat. Iraia narrowed her eyes in focus and expertly matched Boruto blow for blow as she expertly blocked, defended, countered, struck, swept, punched, and kicked. Boruto widened his eyes in shock as he realized he was quickly being outmatched in Taijutsu and Iraia hadn't even activated her Byakugan yet. He quickly dashed backwards and formed the Clone sign saying, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Puff!

Immediately four Clones of Boruto appeared by his side as they all five dashed around the arena surrounding her and trying to confuse her. Iraia furrowed her brow and said, "Byakugan!" Instantly her field of vision increased allowing her to see the entire arena and all of the Boruto's, however she widened her eyes in shock as saw a scientific ninja tool hidden in Boruto's right sleeve.

_What is that? _

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Boruto and his clones each threw out a kunai attached paper bomb at her. Just before it could reach her she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Swish!

With a powerful twist of her body a blue chakra sphere surrounded and shielded her expertly knocking all 5 kunai attached paper bombs away before blowing up.

Boom!

A cloud of smoke filled the area around Iraia obscuring everyone's vision of what was going on inside, however the smoke cloud did nothing to obstruct Iraia's view. She instantly took note of where all 5 Boruto's were and threw out 5 shuriken utilizing the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. All the Boruto's smirked as they saw the incoming shurikens fly out of the smoke cloud and took out a kunai each throwing them to intercept the shurikens, however he widened his eyes in shock as there was a second shuriken beneath the first one.

Put! Put! Put! Put!

Clink!

Boruto's 4 Shadow Clones were too slow to react and were immediately struck in the chest dispelling them while he was able to quickly grab another kunai and defend just in time. It was at this moment that Iraia appeared above him and thrust out with her palm from above shouting, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Boruto panicked as he realized that the shurikens weren't only meant for destroying his clones, it was also to distract him so he wouldn't keep his attention on where Iraia was going to be. In his panicked state he could only think of one way to get out of this situation and it was to use the scientific ninja tool on his right arm. He gritted his teeth and formed a hand sign generating a small scroll to land in his hand as he shouted, "Wind Style: Gale Force Jutsu!" In an instant a giant force of powerful wind intercepted Iraia's attack and smashed into her small frame. She widened her eyes in complete astonishment as her Byakugan allowed her to see the whole thing play out. She crossed her arms in front of her just as the powerful wind blasted her through the air and into the wall of the arena creating small cracks and tears in the wall. Iraia coughed as she steadied her breathing and frowned at how Boruto was able to perform such a powerful Wind Ninjutsu.

_What did he do just now? With a single hand sign he generated a small scroll from that ninja tool on his arm and somehow that allowed him to use an incredibly powerful Wind Ninjutsu. Is that how he defeated Shikadai in his first match? _

Iraia slowly freed herself from the cavity in the wall she created when crashing into it and narrowed her eyes in deep focus at Boruto. Boruto felt completely nervous at this moment as he realized that his attack seemed excessive and with that excessive attack he still didn't knock Iraia out. He felt completely guilty now and terrible about what he did at the same time nervous if Iraia was able to see through his trick with her Byakugan.

Iraia took note of Boruto's strange behavior and dashed right at him. Boruto panicked and created four Shadow Clones to surround them, however Iraia formed the Tiger sign and shouted, "Lava Style: Volcanic Ash Cloud Jutsu!" She spewed out a dark cloud of ash that spread out and covered the area smothering Boruto's Shadow Clones and obscuring their sight. She then expertly threw out 4 shuriken destroying the Clones just as she arrived in front of the real Boruto. She threw a punch at Boruto who defended with his palm, but before Boruto could counter strike she gripped his arm forcing Boruto to punch out with his other hand. Iraia frowned and blocked with her free hand also gripping Boruto's other arm as they were stopped in a deadlock. At their close proximity Iraia whispered, "Why are you fighting?"

Boruto gritted his teeth as they were still in a deadlock hold and responded, "What are you talking about? This is the Chunin Exams. Of course I'm fighting so I can win and become a Chunin."

Iraia frowned. "No. That's not what I want to know. I want to know your reason for fighting. For being a ninja. Your ninja way. What is it?"

Boruto had a complicated look on his face as a moment of silence passed between them before he answered, "I...I can't lose! I won't lose here! I'm gonna show dad just how capable I am and to do that I won't lose to you Iraia."

Iraia was inwardly surprised at this new revelation and understood.

_I see. Boruto wants to win and become acknowledged by uncle Naruto. But Boruto...The way you're doing it…_

Iraia took a quick look at the people in the stands before sneaking a peek at the Hokage rock faces and lightly smiled before resuming her indifferent expression.

_Papa. I know you may not be here watching me right now but I know you're probably fighting with me in spirit. You always told Hiroshi and I that it doesn't matter what the outcome is as long as we stay true to our ninja way and don't lose where our heart is. It's fine, right papa? If I don't win._

Iraia let out a soft sigh before releasing her grip on Boruto and dashed backwards. Boruto charged straight at her and formed the hand signs of Snake, Ram, Boar, Horse, Bird, and clapped his hands together generating a force of wind by his palms. Just as Boruto reached her and thrust out his air palm Iraia deactivated her Byakugan and crossed her arms in front of her jumping slightly back to help create a bit of distance and cushion the force of the blast. The wind from Boruto's Gale Palm struck her and sent her crashing into the arena wall.

Iraia panted heavily as she worked to steady her breathing after taking the hit and responded, "I...give up."

Immediately the Five Kage, Hanabi, Hiroshi, Asuka, and many others widened their eyes in surprise. Boruto included as he was actually confused. The moment before he was about to hit Iraia he saw her deactivate her Byakugan.

_What? What did Iraia say? Did she say she gives up? But why? And why did she deactivate her Byakugan? And while others may not know, I know that Iraia can use other forms of her Lava Style so how come she didn't use them against me? She even beat Shizuma!_

As Boruto was left standing in the middle of the arena confused Lee jumped down to her and asked, "Iraia, can you repeat what you said just so I know I heard correctly."

Iraia nodded. "I give up. I've over exhausted my body."

A moment of silence passed through the arena before Lee nodded and shouted, "Winner, Uzumaki Boruto!" After Lee's announcement the crowd shouted in loud cheers. As Iraia slowly stood back up Boruto walked over to her with a guilty and complicated expression in his eyes and said, "Why? Why are you giving up? You barely used your Lava Style."

Iraia let out a soft sigh expressionlessly and said, "Like I said. I over exhausted my body."

Before Boruto could respond she slowly walked next to Boruto and whispered in his ear so only he could hear. "I understand. Wanting to be acknowledged by your dad. But the way you're doing it is wrong. Still...I wish you good luck."

Iraia then walked away leaving a stunned and even more guilty feeling Boruto behind as he realized that Iraia saw through him.


	9. Chunin Exams Interrupted

Chapter 9

As Iraia sat down in the resting area Hiroshi ran up to her questioningly and asked, "Iraia? Are you alright?"

Iraia simply nodded. "I'm fine Hiroshi. Stay focused. Your match against Sarada is next."

Hiroshi nodded but still questioned, "But sis...how come you gave up? You didn't even activate your Sharingan. On top of that you didn't even really use your Lava Style. With only your Byakugan you still had more than enough chakra to continue the match."

Iraia shook her head at Hiroshi's comment. "Hiroshi, sometimes it isn't about winning, but rather principle. Maybe if papa was here I wou-...no...even if papa were here watching me personally compete I would still make the same decision. You should make your own decision yourself when you face Boruto."

Hiroshi could only glance at his sister's confusing answer and shrug his shoulders as he dashed out onto the arena stage for his match against Sarada. As they both stood there in the middle of the stage gearing up for a fierce fight Hiroshi gave a look of serious determination and said, "Yo! Sarada! Let's give it our best!"

Sarada smirked and replied with just as serious of a determination. "Yeah! I'm aiming to become Hokage one day Hiroshi so I can't afford to let the Chunin Exams be an obstacle for me!"

With that the start of their battle began.

As Iraia watched Sarada and Hiroshi fight on the TV monitor in her resting room she heard a knock on her door. Curious she walked over and opened it only to be surprised at who it was. "Z-Zen? What are you doing here?"

Zen lightly smiled and replied, "I...I was wondering if you could use some company?"

Iraia was a bit stunned at his answer but nodded and let him inside. As they both sat next to each other watching the fight Zen commented, "Hiroshi's pretty strong. Especially his ability to use the Wood Style. The only person in the competition who's left that can give him some sort of trouble is probably Shinki from Sunagakure...and I guess Boruto."

Iraia raised her eyebrow questioningly at Zen's last comment. _Did he guess that I gave up on purpose? _

After a few moments passed she said, "I'm sorry…"

Zen was startled and confused at her sudden apology. "Sorry for what?"

Iraia bit the bottom of her lip in shame. "For suspecting you...for doubting my papa. For bringing up a painful memory of yours. I didn't know. About your parents."

Zen just let out a small laugh. "Heh, that's all?"

Iraia turned to face him a bit panicked inside. "I-Is that not good enough? Should I-" Before she could finish her sentence Zen just smiled at how this expressionless girl was finally showing so much emotion and it was in front of him. He cut her off as he interjected, "No, it's not that. It's just that you have nothing to apologize for. You had every right to be suspicious of me."

Iraia's facial expression softened as she turned back to the monitor screen and said, "I'm still sorry."

Zen just smirked as he felt a feeling that he never thought he'd feel again. Happiness. From the bottom of his heart. Just a few words from Iraia made him happy. Being around her made him feel that there really is something other than the darkness and evil in the world. Something other than meaningless killing. Being around her made him feel like he could move on from the nightmares that plagued him of his mother's death. He glanced at her as she watched the fight and replied, "Although there's nothing for you to apologize for, if it'll make you feel better...then I accept."

At hearing Zen's words Iraia's lips curled in a slight smile. She didn't know why but she felt that they just connected well. Almost as if they were in sync with each other. Then that curious feeling that nagged her at the back of her mind of whether or not they met before surfaced. She hesitated for a moment but still decided she should ask and said with a whisper, "Zen...Do you think...Have we met somewhere before?"

Zen flinched at Iraia's question. He didn't know how he should feel at this moment. He felt a bit conflicted unsure of how Iraia would take the truth. _Would she find it strange? Would she be happy? Would she feel too pained at the memory and not want to meet him anymore? Would she feel guilty for that day? Anguish? Sad?_

Zen gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow in seriousness. Iraia felt her heart pound in expectation at Zen's answer, however just as Zen was about to give his answer the loud sound of the crowd and Lee's announcement of Hiroshi's victory was heard. Then the door to Iraia's room swung open as Chocho, Shikadai, Inojin, and several others waltzed in discussing the match. When they were watching the match earlier they realized that Iraia wasn't with them so after the match finished they left to go find her.

Shikadai tilted his head as he saw Iraia sitting alone watching the match on the TV, but for some reason he felt something off so he questioned, "Sorry we barged in Iraia. Was there someone else in the room?"

Iraia just shook her head. "Just me." However she inwardly smiled amusedly at how quick Zen was to disappear and hide in the shadows. It wasn't long after as Asuka had her battle against Shinki. She did her best to breach his iron sand defense, however it was too tough to break through. Her current arsenal of techniques wasn't enough to pierce his armor. While she had overwhelming speed on her side Shinki kept himself cloaked in his iron sand armor making it difficult to land a solid hit. Avoiding Shinki's attack was easy for most of the battle, however eventually Shinki was able to spread out his iron sand to most parts of the arena boxing her in. In the end it was Asuka's defeat.

Hiroshi ran as fast as he could to Asuka's side in the arena and grabbed her battered form as Asuka mockingly smiled in defeat and said, "H-Hiroshi...you idiot. What are you doing here?"

Hiroshi just smiled softly. "Heh. You just fought a tough battle yet you still got enough energy to cuss me out huh? That's good."

Asuka smirked. "Good that I lost?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "Good that you're still so spirited." He then piggy backed her back inside the resting area and helped slowly lay her down on a mattress to rest. Iraia quickly arrived and held onto Asuka's hands reassuringly. Asuka just smirked at the twins and just as she was about to say something the door to the room burst open revealing Haku and Akane. They both made their way over and looked at Asuka lovingly. Asuka had a small tear well up in her eyes as she quickly turned her head away from them and grumbled, "I lost."

Haku just smiled and softly stroked her head comfortingly. "It's okay Asuka. It's not about winning or losing. It's about doing your best."

Asuka scrunched up her face and replied, "You're not disappointed in me?"

Akane frowned and pinched Asuka's arm causing her to yell out. "OOOWWWW!"

Immediately Asuka's feeling of shame was replaced with a feeling of pain and annoyance. "Mom! What'd you do that for?"

Akane just smirked and quickly pulled Asuka into a hug. "This idiot daughter of mine! Do you really think that your dad and I care if you win or lose?"

"Hmpf. But you were cheering so loud earlier. I didn't want to disappoint you."

Haku just smiled brightly. "Asuka, that's just how your mom is. She'll cheer for you loudly no matter what you're competing in. You should have heard her scream at the TV during part 2 of the Exams."

Akane quickly glared at Haku and growled, "You don't have to tell her everything!"

Asuka just let out a light laugh feeling completely better about the results of her fight. Iraia and Hiroshi just turned to look at each other and nodded in silent understanding as they both discreetly left the room leaving the trio alone in their happy and strange banter. It wasn't until the next day when the final round of the Chunin Exams were held. It would be a three way match between Shinki of Sunagakure, Boruto of Konohagakure, and Hiroshi, also of Konoha. Everyone arrived and took up their respective seats in the stands as they awaited for this prospective battle. The Five Kage sat in their seats high above the arena as they waited for the match to start.

Chojuro pondered a bit and commented, "So, a match between the 5th Kazekage's adopted son, the 7th Hokage's son, and the 6th Hokage's son. This should be quite the match."

Kurotsuchi nodded in agreement. "Shinki can use the Magnet Style to mix in his magnetic chakra with his iron sand giving him a formidable offense and defense. It's also a good technique for fighting multiple opponents. Boruto has shown himself to be able to use some pretty formidable Ninjutsu. And Hiroshi seems to have mastered his Wood Style to a very high level. I wonder how this match will go."

It was then the three contestants stepped into the arena. Shinki, Boruto, and Hiroshi stood opposite each other in a triangular formation as a palpable tension was filled between them. Shinki smiled with anticipation and said, "Now, show me! Show me what you can do! Son of the 7th Hokage and 6th Hokage!"

Boruto frowned and replied, "Heh. If that's what you want then you got it!"

Hiroshi just had one thought pass through his mind and that was the conversation he had with his sister. _What did sis mean when she said that she'll let me make my own decision regarding Boruto? Tsk. And this sand guy named Shinki has a troublesome Kekkei Genkai as well. Sister hasn't mastered hers yet. _

Without wasting time for words Lee signaled the start of the match. Immediately Shinki created hundreds of iron sand feathers and shot it out straight at Boruto and Hiroshi. They both furrowed their brow in focus and dashed around the arena dodging left and right to avoid being hit. Just before several tens of iron feathers could crash into Hiroshi's flank he jumped in the air and twisted his body performing a twisted backflip while weaving the signs of Ram and Snake. Then just as he landed back on the ground he shouted, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!"

Whoosh!

Before more iron feathers could hit him several small and thick wooden trees appeared blocking the attack, however it didn't end there. Many more wooden trees, vines, and bushes erupted all over the arena attempting to bind, strangle, and ensnare Shinki and Boruto. Shinki narrowed his eyes and quickly spread out his iron sand around him into two large iron blades and sliced anything that approached him preventing his capture. Boruto frowned and jumped in the air as he climbed up the wall of the arena and stood there to avoid being captured on the arena floor. Hiroshi then activated his Byakugan to help increase his field of vision and awareness of the battlefield, however he widened his eyes with surprise and confusion as he saw exactly what Iraia had seen. Some strange ninja tool attached to Boruto's right arm. Without having more time to contemplate he quickly formed the hand seal of Rat, Dog, and Tiger shouting, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" A thick shield of wood quickly formed around him just as one of Shinki's large iron sand blades flew out to hit him.

Bam!

The iron blade sunk a few inches into the wooden dome, however the wooden dome was successful in blocking Shinki's attack. Shinki had also shot out his remaining iron sword straight at Boruto who frowned in shock and frustration and quickly dodged just in time landing back on the ground. As the iron sword flew back at him he quickly created 4 Shadow Clones and began dashing around the wooden filled arena stage, but it wasn't long before his clones fell prey to either Shinki's attack or Hiroshi's wooden terrain. Hiroshi was also in a bit of a bind because the iron blade sunk deep enough into his wooden dome that he could see it sticking inside his protective shield. The iron blade then began transforming into the shape of a thin sharp spear to fit through the hole it made. Hiroshi widened his eyes in alarm and quickly dashed out of his protective wooden dome to avoid being stabbed. He knew that if he left his dome then Shinki was waiting for him with a giant iron fist just outside of it thanks to being able to see Shinki's move with his Byakugan, however he had to make a choice. Either meet Shinki's fist head-on or get stabbed by the iron spear. And exactly like he predicted the moment he stepped out of his dome the iron fist slammed straight for him. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes in focus as he prepared to counter it.

_Tsk. Damn this Shinki guy! He's good I'll give him that! However, don't look down on me! Sis isn't the only one who's trained her Hyuga Taijutsu skills! _

Just as the fist was about to reach him he quickly spun expelling chakra outside his body as he shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

BAM!

The giant iron fist was deflected the instant it made contact with Hiroshi's spinning chakra shield. Hiroshi used that moment to quickly dash backwards and distanced himself from the giant iron hand. It was then that Boruto dashed over and jumped above him bringing along with the giant iron blade that was still chasing after him. Hiroshi widened his eyes in shock as Boruto dodged the iron blade making it swing down towards him so he quickly formed the Dog hand sign and clapped his hands shouting, "Wood Style: Golem Fist Jutsu!" Quickly a giant wooden fist erupted beside him and knocked the iron blade aside as Hiroshi shouted at Boruto's retreating form in the distance, "Oi! Boruto that was underhanded!"

Boruto smirked and retorted, "Hehe! I thought I'd let you two Kekkei Genkai users fight it out for a bit. This is a free for all Hiroshi."

Hiroshi just clicked his tongue in response but quickly formed another giant wooden fist to intercept the iron fist that was aimed straight at him.

Bam! Boom! Bam!

At this point Shinki had transformed his iron sword into another iron fist making two giant fists and was currently boxing against Hiroshi's giant wooden fists.

Bam! Boom! Bang! Boom!

Both Hiroshi and Shinki were currently deep in focus on their battle. Neither one wanting to lose to the other in this boxing match. Boruto grinned to himself on the side and quickly fueled his lightning nature into several shuriken as he threw them at Shinki and shouted, "Lightning Style: Triple!" This move forced Shinki to disengage one of his iron hands against Hiroshi and block Boruto's attack. Hiroshi didn't miss this chance and quickly shot forth one of his giant wooden fists with great speed straight at Shinki. Shinki widened his eyes in shock and quickly after his iron hand deflected Boruto's attack he moved his iron fist to block Hiroshi's attack, however the speed and force behind Hiroshi's attack was too great for Shinki to properly prepare for it and so the wooden fist struck the iron fist before smashing it right into Shinki causing him to fly through the air and crash into the arena wall.

Boruto smirked as he watched this play out, however a wooden vine stretched out from the arena stage and wrapped around his ankle. Just as Hiroshi smirked at his success he was stunned at what happened next. Boruto used a Jutsu that no one in the competition could have seen coming. He heard Boruto shout, "Sexy Jutsu!"

Poof!

In place of Boruto was a slim, beautiful, naked, and as the name of his Jutsu implied, sexy woman. Hiroshi widened his eyes completely stunned at this new development as his mind went blank. He didn't know what happened next because all he saw was black after that. Boruto smiled at his success as he had knocked Hiroshi out while Hiroshi was momentarily stunned.

"Hehe! Sorry Hiroshi but I gotta do what I gotta do."

It was then that Shinki reemerged from the cavity in the wall he created by crashing into it earlier. He narrowed his eyes in shock and confusion as he saw that Hiroshi was knocked out and eliminated. During the fight he was 100% sure that Hiroshi posed a much greater threat than Boruto did so he couldn't fathom how Boruto had defeated Hiroshi, however everyone else who was watching simply had an awkward expression on their faces. Shikadai, Inojin, Iwabe, and Denki were completely speechless when they saw everything play out as Shikadai face-palmed and commented, "T-That Boruto...That was kind of an underhanded trick, but I suppose it worked…"

Inojin covered his eyes in shame and remarked, "That Jutsu must be S-rank or something...I-It's too powerful…"

Iwabe and Denki simply nodded their heads in agreement. Meanwhile all the girls simply frowned and disapproved of how all the boys were reacting as they all had the same thought. _They're all idiots! _

They were all snapped out of their thoughts and returned their attention to watching the match because they were incredibly shocked at what happened next. Boruto was using a powerful Jutsu that Commander Kakashi had created a few years ago. The Purple Lightning Jutsu. And with that Jutsu he successfully defeated Shinki.

Shikadai just let out a sigh and said, "Haaaaa...Heh, well it looks like Boruto won. He's just full of tricks and secrets."

Inojin nodded. "Who knew that he was actually able to learn Commander Kakashi's Jutsu Purple Lightning. He's gotten pretty strong."

Just as everyone was celebrating Boruto's victory Naruto jumped down from the stands with a disappointed look in his eyes. Iraia simply closed her eyes and knew that at this moment Lord 7th had discovered the truth.

_Now then...Boruto...What will you do? And Lord 7th, what will you say? _

As everyone was cheering and waiting for Naruto's speech, the speech that Naruto gave was not what everyone had expected. He exposed Boruto's scientific ninja tool which exposed Boruto's cheating. He then proceeded to remove Boruto's ninja forehead protector and disqualified him as a ninja. As they were having an argument in the middle of the arena something happened that shocked everyone there. A powerful aura struck the hearts of everyone in the vicinity as two beings floated in the air above the arena. They were exactly two members of the Otsutsuki clan. The large brawny one with a damaged horn and carrying a large red chakra axe was named Kinshiki while the other slimmer, more refined looking one with a Rinnegan in the palm of each hand was named Momoshiki.

Naruto and Sasuke quickly stood before the kids shielding them from Momoshiki's attack.

Haku who was still in the stands frowned at this new development and was about to help Sasuke and Naruto when he caught sight of another Otsutsuki member who was carrying some strange red fishing rod with a red gourd on his waist. That Otsutsuki member thrust out his fishing pole and pierced Mitsuki's chest before Mitsuki had a chance to activate his power. He then successfully captured and retrieved the chakra within Mitsuki's body. Haku took one quick glance at Naruto and Sasuke before deciding to chase after this third Otsutsuki member.

_Naruto and Sasuke are both incredibly powerful. I'll let them handle those two Otsutsuki members in the arena. I'll go take care of this third one. Big brother, if only you were here I'd feel better about the situation. _

Swish!

Just as that Otsutsuki member approached Mitsuki he smirked and dashed back before Haku could hit him. Haku stared at this Otsutsuki and asked, "Who are you? And what do you want?"

"Heheheh! Who am I? I'm Otsutsuki Urashiki. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Yuki Haku."

Haku widened his eyes in shock. "You know who I am?"

Urashiki simply chuckled. "Of course. My specialty lies in investigation." He then quickly dashed away from the arena prompting Haku to chase after him as they both arrived in an open grassy area. Haku furrowed his brow with deep focus and asked, "What is your purpose here?"

Urashiki smiled sinisterly. "Well nothing really. Besides, is it really okay for you to chase after me and leave the 7th Hokage and Sasuke alone?"

Haku sneered. "If your specialty is investigation then you should know just how powerful they are. I believe in their strength." Without wasting time for more words Haku instantly entered Sage Mode. The wave tattoos on his cheeks appeared and two koi fish tattoos appeared on his forehead as his eyes turned a deep blue color. Urashiki frowned as he sensed the change in Haku's aura.

"That is a dangerous power. My investigations led me to believe that you could use some strange power, but being in its presence is truly different. It'd be best for me to take it and kill you here." He then threw out his fish hook straight at Haku who simply spit a Sage powered icicle from his mouth knocking the hook away. He then dashed into the air and formed the Tiger sign shouting, "Sage Art: Ice Style Swallow Snowstorm Jutsu!"

Fwish!

Hundreds upon hundreds of icy swallows circled the area and aimed right for Urashiki who frowned and quickly shielded himself with a bunch of sand from his gourd. Haku widened his eyes in shock. "That's the Jutsu of the 5th Kazekage! How is that possible?"

Urashiki smirked. "Surprised? I stole the chakra of the 5th Kazekage a few days ago. I guess he hasn't told you." Urashiki then created a giant sand spear aiming right at Haku who simply condensed a giant frozen fist on his hand and threw out a strong punch at the sand spear. Instantly the sand spear shattered into nothing but disorganized sand. Haku then followed up with a Sage powered Ice Dragon. Haku's moves were simply too fast and powerful that Urashiki didn't have time to react or counter. He was instantly hit and became frozen in Haku's technique. Just as Haku breathed out a sigh of relief he widened his eyes in shock as Urashiki disappeared from his frozen prison. He saw Urashiki appear in the distance with a Rinnegan stepping out of some sort of dark portal causing Haku to frown and become incredibly serious as the aura around him changed. The wind began to pick up and the trees and grass began to sway as a powerful energy condensed around Haku.

_This foe is of the Otsutsuki clan. If he's anything like Kaguya then he must be crazy strong. I don't know what technique he used to escape the ice but the portal he appeared from looks exactly the same as how Kaguya kept disappearing in and out of dimensions. __On top of that he possesses a Rinnegan. __There's no telling what other powerful techniques he has at his disposal. I must ensure I kill him here and now and that means I can't hold back. I'll have to enter Heavenly Ocean Sage Mode. _

Urashiki was incredibly shocked at what he was seeing before him. He felt a power surrounding Haku that he hadn't felt in a long long time and it slowly brought back some old memories of his. He frowned deeply and warily at Haku as he asked, "You...what is that power? Why does it feel like Owatatsumi's power?"

Haku was shocked at what he heard. "Owatatsumi? How do you know master Owatatsumi?"

Urashiki widened his eyes in shock and a bit of fear. "Judging from your answer your power really does come from Owatatsumi! Impossible! He should be dead already!"

Haku furrowed his brow as he was even more curious and wary now. "You said your name was Urashiki correct? You're going to tell me how you know Owatatsumi."

Urashiki frowned and instantly opened a portal and entered it. Just before it closed his voice could be heard. "I'm afraid not. Time is up and you're too late. My superiors should be finishing up now so I'll take my leave. But truly...I never would have imagined that that old dragon was still alive. What a crafty old creature." With that the portal closed as Urashiki disappeared. Haku turned to look towards the arena only to see Naruto shield the area in his powerful chakra cloak preventing the blast of a giant Tailed Beast Bomb from devastating Konoha.

BOOOOOM!

A blinding light filled the area and the shaking of the earth could be felt. Naruto was successful in containing the blast with his powerful chakra cloak, however the entire arena and some of the nearby surroundings were left in complete ruin. Haku frowned and quickly made his way to where he sensed Sasuke who was currently watching over an unconscious Boruto, Sarada, and Hiroshi. Sasuke turned and saw Haku approach so he nodded his head acknowledging Haku's presence. Haku just frowned. "I can't sense Naruto's presence. Did they take him?"

Sasuke nodded. "You can't but I can. Your Sage mode doesn't let you sense his presence across dimensions. But with my Rinnegan I can still feel his presence, although it's a bit weak. My Rinnegan can see the distortions created by someone using a space-time portal. The more someone uses it the more clearly my Rinnegan can find it. And the closer I am to one the easier it is to connect to the same dimension. I was close when Momoshiki took Naruto. I'm certain I can reach him. Let's get the kids to a safe place first and convene with the Five Kage before heading out."

Haku furrowed his brow in deep contemplation before responding, "Will that be okay? Leaving Naruto in their hands like that for now?"

Sasuke simply replied, "They are after Kurama who is inside of Naruto so they won't kill him until they extract it. Plus it's Naruto. He won't go down so easily. We can't face them unprepared. For now let's just put our faith in him. Besides, we'll be quick about it on our end."

It wasn't long before the Five Kage gathered as well as Sasuke and Boruto who had quickly woken up. The seven of them quickly gathered around Sasuke as he opened a portal leading to Momoshiki's dimension to go save Naruto. Haku, Shikamaru, and Sakura watched as the seven of them left.

Fwish!

Unexpectedly some scientists had also quickly snuck through as well leaving Shikamaru, Haku, and Sakura a bit speechless. Shikamaru awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...What a pain."

Sakura frowned as she asked, "Now what?"

Shikamaru just sighed. "Nothing we can do. The portal's closed. We can only leave things up to them now. And hope that those scientists don't do anything rash."

Haku just frowned at the whole situation. "Tch. If only I could go as well."

Shikamaru patted Haku's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry too much Haku. The Five Kage and Sasuke went. They should be able to handle it. We'll have to put our trust in them. And we need you here since Lord 6th Hokage isn't here. There's still one more Otsutsuki member out there. If he decides to come back and attack the village then I'm afraid you might be the only one around who can counter him."

Haku just let out a sigh. "Haaaaa...I know. If only Izaya knew what was happening right now I'm sure he'd return in a heartbeat."

Shikamaru and Sakura simply nodded in agreement…

Hiroshi stirred in his unconscious state as he slowly began to open his eyes.

_Ugh...What the heck happened? I remember Boruto using his underhanded Sexy Jutsu before everything went dark. Then when I came to Lord 7th and uncle Sasuke were in front of me. I remember Boruto and Sarada being there too. Also some weirdos were flying high in the sky and shot this gigantic mass of chakra right at us. It was then that Lord 7th did something to shield everyone from the blast, but the wind force generated from the impact knocked me back into the ground and I hit my head again. _

Just as Hiroshi slowly sat up he felt someone drag him into a tight hug, but he knew exactly who it was. "Ughhhh...Mom...You're squeezing too tight! Can't breathe!"

Hanabi quickly let go as she wiped away a small tear from her eyes and smiled softly at Hiroshi. Hiroshi only rubbed the back of his head and asked, "What happened? Is Boruto and Sarada okay? What about Lord 7th and uncle Sasuke? And who were those two weirdos flying in the sky?"

Before Hanabi had a chance to answer Asuka spoke first. "Konoha was attacked."

Hiroshi widened his eyes in shock. "What?!"

Asuka just let out a sigh before continuing, "Just listen if you want to know what happened. I'm not repeating myself. Apparently the attackers are from this so-called Otsutsuki clan. The same clan as the one who appeared during the 4th Great Ninja War. These guys used some sort of Jutsu and in order to protect everyone Lord 7th took on the brunt of their attack. I don't know much more. Only that they were somehow able to capture Lord 7th. The Five Kage as well as uncle Sasuke and Boruto gathered to chase after them."

Hiroshi frowned but let out a sigh knowing there wasn't anything he could do right now. "So...then how long was I out?"

"About an hour."

Hiroshi widened his eyes again in shock. "A-An hour?!"

"Hmpf. That's what I said."

Hiroshi just let out another sigh. He looked around the room but couldn't find Iraia so he asked, "Where's sis?"

Hanabi comfortingly stroked Hiroshi's head and replied, "She's helping the relief team. Luckily no one died in the attack, however there were some who were injured and the arena plus some of its surroundings were destroyed. But I want you to stay here and rest Hiroshi. Almost everything is done and we already have enough helping hands. Focus on getting your strength back." Hanabi then kissed Hiroshi on the forehead before standing up and headed out the door.

Hiroshi watched his mother leave the room before turning to face Asuka and questioned, "So…-" Before Hiroshi could complete his sentence Asuka's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she turned away from Hiroshi and interjected, "Someone needs to watch you and make sure you don't go off doing something stupid. Got a problem with that?"

Hiroshi could only smile goofily and felt a bit happy inside.

It wasn't long after when Sasuke returned alongside Naruto, Boruto, and the other Kages as they had successfully defeated Momoshiki and Kinshiki. In but a few days after the attack everything in the village had nearly returned to normal. Only the area that was left in ruins after the attack needed to be reconstructed. Naruto sat in his office along with Shikamaru in deep contemplation alongside Kakashi and Tsunade. Shikamaru broke the silence first. "So? Any thoughts?"

Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance before replying, "Tch. Why does something always occur to interrupt the Chunin Exams? What a mess."

Kakashi let out a sigh as he nodded in agreement before chiming in, "Well...Nothing we can do about it. We can only accept what has happened and try to figure out what to do from there."

Naruto furrowed his brow and also let out a sigh. "Deciding who gets promoted to Chunin huh?...And on top of that we have to worry about that other Otsutsuki guy named Urashiki."

Shikamaru just nodded in agreement. "Well we did get to see most of everyone's skill even though the Chunin Exams didn't get an official conclusion. We should decide based on how everyone performed. As for Urashiki we'll let Sasuke and Haku handle that for now. Sasuke's the only one who can track him down right now with his Rinnegan and apparently Haku said that when he fought Urashiki he discovered that there may be a connection to Ryugu-Jo Palace so he left to go search for some information."

Kakashi nodded. "Shikamaru has a point. Since we aren't really of much use in the search for Urashiki we should focus on what we can do. And the only thing we can do right now is deciding on what to do for the Chunin Exams."

Tsunade tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair she was sitting on before saying, "Well...although the Chunin Exams were interrupted, just like in the past when these situations occurred certain Genin were still promoted to Chunin based on how they performed overall. Although Boruto has made public his apology for cheating in the Exams and has been pardoned thanks to his contribution in defeating Otsutsuki Momoshiki, it is definitely much too early for him to be promoted to Chunin. In this regard I do think that there are some Genin qualified for promotion."

Naruto raised his eyebrow curiously and inquired, "Such as?"

Tsunade thought for a moment before responding, "For starters I would say that Shikadai and Zen have shown they are plenty capable. Shikadai for his intelligence and strategy as well as his leadership role in guiding his team throughout the competition. He has also shown that he possesses the combat skills necessary for a shinobi. As for Zen I already know about his situation from Izaya. He has already taken up Anbu missions for Konoha and is really only taking the Exams as a matter of formality. While his team didn't make it to the last round of the Exam I have a feeling that he wasn't using his true skill when he fought against Izaya and Haku's daughters. Perhaps he didn't wish to injure his sensei's daughter. Anyways he was the one who led his team in successfully passing the first round of the Exam and they were the first to make it to the Exam site for part 1."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "I believe you are correct Lord 5th. It would seem a bit of a waste to keep Zen as a Genin, therefore I support the idea to promote Zen as a Chunin. As for Shikadai, I believe that he is ready to be a Chunin. What he lacks is field experience, but that should come with time."

Shikamaru nodded and asked, "What do you both think about Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka?"

Kakashi furrowed his brow in contemplation before responding, "I think that Hiroshi might be a good choice as well. Despite the fact that he fell victim to Boruto's S-S...Sexy Jutsu...Ahem...He has demonstrated his ability to strategize and demonstrated how skillful he is at staying aware of his surroundings when in combat. I'm not too sure of Iraia yet. She definitely has the combat skill, but she gave up too quickly against Boruto when she clearly still had enough chakra to continue. I'm not sure what she was thinking at that time. I say we observe her a bit more and perhaps have her take the Exams once more next year. Same for Asuka. She still seems a bit too hot tempered."

As everyone gave a moment to take in what Kakashi said they soon all nodded in agreement. Naruto let out a sigh and wrote something in his documents before saying, "Very well. Then Nara Shikadai, Yagami Zen, and Hyuga Hiroshi will hereby be promoted to Chunin."

"Mn." Everyone else consented. Kakashi coughed and cleared his throat grabbing everyone's attention at this moment. Shikamaru turned to Kakashi and asked, "Is there something else you'd like to add Kakashi?"

"Yeah. Actually I have an announcement. It's not just me but for Guy as well. We both are going to officially retire from our positions as Jonin Commander and Vice Jonin Commander."

"EEEHHHH?!" Everyone exclaimed and widened their eyes in shock. Naruto had a complicated expression as he commented, "B-But Kakashi-sensei, who's going to take Guy-sensei's and your place? And are you sure you want to?"

Kakashi just smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Guy and I have been in our positions for more than ten years already. We have already chosen our successors. I'm giving my position over to Neji and Guy is naming Lee as his successor."

Shikamaru thought about what Kakashi said for a moment before nodding his head. "Mn. I suppose you and Guy have been in your positions for a long time. You both deserve to be more relaxed. Neji and Lee are more than qualified as well. Kakashi, if you and Guy truly want to retire then I support your decision."

Naruto let out a sad sigh but nodded in agreement. "Haaaa...I'm a bit sad to see you go, Kakashi-sensei, but Shikamaru is right. You and Guy-sensei have done enough and deserve a more relaxed lifestyle. Very well, I'll have a formal talk with you, Guy, Neji, and Lee tomorrow morning so we can get the necessary documents signed for the official transfer of duties."

Kakashi smiled gratefully at Naruto's answer. "Mn. Thanks Naruto."

**888**

At this moment Haku was walking within the grand palace of Ryugu-Jo. He stopped right before a giant silver blue gate that had intricate designs and patterns on it. After taking a deep breath he walked up to the gate and knocked. The sound of his knocking resounded throughout the entire palace like the loud ringing of a ceremonial gong. In but a mere few seconds the gate opened revealing a giant hall filled with large embroidered pillars. A grand silver and blue carpet ran through the middle of the floor leading up to a giant silver and blue throne. And on that throne sat perfectly coiled a large dragon, the Heavenly Ocean Sage Owatatsumi. The master of the Ryugu-Jo Palace. Haku stood before the Grand Sage and bowed once in respect before he took a seat and waited patiently for Owatatsumi to say something. After five minutes of complete silence passed by Owatatsumi finally opened his eyes and stared down at Haku.

"Youngster. You have returned. It's been five years since you have mastered Heavenly Ocean Sage Mode."

Haku nodded and replied, "Yes master Owatatsumi. It has been quite awhile. I'm glad to see that you are recovering well. I've come seeking some answers."

Owatatsumi looked at Haku with curiosity before letting out a sigh. "Go on."

Haku cleared his throat before asking, "Ahem. Master, recently three members of the Otsutsuki clan have invaded this planet. Two of them were defeated. They were Otsutsuki Kinshiki and Momoshiki, however the third has disappeared somewhere in hiding. When I fought him he utilized strange weapons and techniques and even possessed the powers of the Rinnegan. He recognized my Heavenly Ocean Sage Mode and claims to be familiar with you."

Owatatsumi narrowed his eyes at Haku's words. "What is his name?"

Haku quickly replied, "His name was Otsutsuki Urashiki."

Immediately the entire palace shook as Owatatsumi flared up his chakra in anger after hearing the name Urashiki, however he quickly calmed down and let out several loud coughs. Haku widened his eyes in alarm. "Lord Owatatsumi, are you alright?!"

Owatatsumi simply let out a soft sigh. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Haaaa...It's been so long I shouldn't be getting riled up like this. So Urashiki is it? He's still around then. What a pest."

Haku tilted his head confused and intrigued. "Who is this Urashiki?"

Owatatsumi let out a sigh before speaking again. "Urashiki is a member of the Otsutsuki clan who specializes in infiltration and investigation. He is one of the more eccentric members of the Otsutsuki clan and likes to pull the strings in the shadows. In this regard he is quite dangerous, however due to his eccentric nature he doesn't quite carry out the orders from his clan very well or very quickly. And because of that his position within the Otsutsuki clan isn't very high. Urashiki was one of the members of the Otsutsuki clan who attacked me and raided Ryugu-Jo Palace back when I was still in the Heavenly Plane. He managed to steal many of my treasures. One of them being a black box that unleashes a powerful gaseous substance able to seal someone in time for 10,000 years. He's a despicable character. During my battle against the more powerful members of the Otsutsuki clan he managed to pierce me with that special rod of his that can steal chakra greatly weakening me. Before he had a chance to use my chakra I successfully caused it to explode. That bought me enough time to use a special treasure of mine to fake my death and escape. To think that one of the invaders is Urashiki. Haku, be careful of him. To think that three members of the Otsutsuki clan were actually sent to this planet. Momoshiki possessed a higher position than most amongst his clan members back in the day, but his standing may have improved even further since then and it isn't because of his power, but rather his connections. Anyways be wary and cautious. There are those who are even greater than him. I fear the Otsutsuki clan are beginning to turn their eyes towards this side of the world. Be prepared for the worst Haku."

Haku frowned at Owatatsumi's narration but nodded in seriousness. "I shall Lord Owatatsumi."

A few weeks passed since the incident with Momoshiki and Kinshiki but there was still no word from Sasuke about Urashiki's whereabouts until this moment. Naruto and Shikamaru stared at the scroll on the desk in front of them that Sasuke had sent through his hawk.

"So, what should we do about this?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto furrowed his brow in seriousness. "If what Sasuke sent is true then Urashiki is going after the One Tails, Shukaku. He said that he already informed Gaara and that he's also heading towards Shukaku's location. With Gaara and Sasuke they should be able to safely protect and ward off Urashiki, but then again we can't rule out the possibility that something unexpected could happen."

Shikamaru nodded. "I agree. We still don't really know the true strength of this Urashiki guy so it's better to be more cautious. We should send reinforcements."

Naruto nodded. "Mn. But everyone's currently on break. Boruto left on a family camping trip. Sarada is also heading off with Sakura somewhere and I believe Mitsuki is heading back to see Orochimaru. You said that Shikadai is going to Sunagakure to visit Temari's hometown. And Haku left on a trip with Akane and Asuka."

Shikamaru let out a sigh. "Haaaa...What bad timing. Most of the Genin's are all busy going on family trips and their parents just so happen to be some of the most skilled shinobi in the village, but that doesn't mean we're out of options. Out of the three Genins that were promoted to Chunin, Shikadai and Hiroshi are busy. I believe Zen is still in the village. He's been performing his Anbu duties excellently gaining real experience as a shinobi per Izaya's request. So far he hasn't failed a single mission. He's even taken up Izaya's old Anbu name, Ghost. We could send him out to check things out and provide assistance if necessary."

Naruto thought for a moment before resting his chin on top of his hands. "Hmm...I suppose you have a point. We can't mobilize a large group of reinforcements because they will be within the territory of Sunagakure. If the feudal lords catch wind of this they could see it as a form of invasion. Sending a small group would be best. But just Zen? Is this okay?"

Shikamaru nodded. "He is Lord 6th's disciple after all. We only need him to provide backup if Sasuke and Gaara should fail, but this is Sasuke and Gaara were talking about. It should be fine."

Naruto furrowed his brow in deep contemplation before nodding in agreement. "Alright. Let's go with that. We'll send Zen to provide assistance just in case."

In but less than a few hours Zen was on his way to Sunagakure where Shukaku, Sasuke, and Gaara were supposed to be, however he frowned and stopped in his tracks. He was near the border of where Konoha and Suna met but he noticed footprints leading from the border pass off into the distance.

_Whose footprints do these belong to? Judging from the distance of each step they were in a hurry. It belongs to a single person. Most likely a shinobi. Something might have happened in the few hours since Sasuke sent his message to Konoha. I better hurry!_

Zen quickly tracked the footprints for several minutes at great speed. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of a battle taking place. Just as he leapt up on a giant boulder to get a better view he widened his eyes in surprise at what he saw. Boruto and Shinki were panting heavily on the ground injured and fatigued while Urashiki stood also seemingly injured, but still capable of fighting. Just as he threw his fishing hook at them Zen quickly took out two kunai and expertly aimed one at the fishhook and the other at Urashiki.

Ting!

Fwish!

The kunai expertly deflected Urashiki's attack, but Urashiki quickly dodged the one aimed at his body. Zen quickly jumped down from the boulder he was on and stood before Boruto and Shinki. Boruto fought to catch his breath and commented, "Zen...Why…" Huff "...Are…" Huff "...You...here?"

Shinki also commented, "You are…" Huff "...The 6th Hokage's..." Huff "...Disciple?"

Zen didn't take his eyes off of Urashiki as he replied, "Both of you have exhausted your chakra and physical stamina. Sit there for a bit and rest. I'll take care of this guy named Urashiki. What happened to Shukaku?"

Shinki took a few deep breaths and answered, "I managed to safely deliver him to one of the Konoha Jonin. He should be on his way to the 7th Hokage."

Zen nodded in understanding.

Urashiki simply smirked and said amusedly, "Hahahah! Well now this is unexpected but it's fine. Even if Shukaku is gone I can use Uzumaki Boruto as a hostage. The 7th Hokage would definitely have to give over the One Tails then. As for you two, you aren't needed. I'll just kill you both." Urashiki quickly thrusted his fishing rod through the air as he shouted, "Amenosubaruboshinomikoto!" Instantly several red fishing hooks shot through the air straight for Zen who quickly placed his hands in the Tiger sign and said, "Ghost Flame Style: White Fire!"

FWISH!

A brilliant white flame erupted around Zen in a protective shield. As the fishhooks made contact with the white flame they were instantly knocked aside unable to penetrate the white fiery shield. Not only were Boruto and Shinki shocked, but so was Urashiki. Boruto stared at the white fire and asked, "W-What is that Jutsu?"

Zen simply replied, "This is my Kekkei Genkai. Ghost Flame Style. It combines my Fire nature with my Yin nature."

The white flames surrounding Zen quickly disappeared before a blue flame appeared by his side as he shouted, "Ghost Flame Style: Blue Fire Scorching Heat!" He clapped his hands before aiming his palm at Urashiki causing the blue flames to gather and condense before it shot out straight at Urashiki with an intense heat that was only surpassed by the black flames of Amaterasu. Urashiki widened his eyes in shock and alarm as he quickly escaped by entering into a different portal. Urashiki secretly reappeared behind Zen and stabbed him right through the chest, however he was shocked at the scene that played out before him. Zen's body turned into a flock of crows as the crows simply flew off into the distance. He frowned and took a look at where Boruto and Shinki were supposed to be as well, however they soon turned into nothing but a flock of crows.

Urashiki simply licked his lips and smiled both sinisterly and amusedly as he said to himself, "Interesting. Very interesting. Genjutsu? Or was it simply Clones? He managed to escape with both Boruto and Shinki. Hahahaha! Not bad. I really wanted his chakra. Whatever Jutsu he was using earlier seemed very interesting. Well...Guess I'll bide my time a bit more. Hehehe!"

He then disappeared into a dark portal.


	10. Konoha of the Past

Chapter 10

A few days after Shukaku was successfully brought under the protection of Konoha everything seemed to return to normal. The hunt for Urashiki's whereabouts continued and Sasuke remained in the village in case Urashiki appeared. Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka were in the middle of training when they noticed Boruto sulking in the corner of the training grounds. Hiroshi got curious so he ran over and slapped Boruto in the back.

Smack!

"AH! OWWW! What the hell?!" Boruto remarked as he rubbed his back. Just as he was turning to cuss out whoever hit him he took note of who it was. "Uh? Hiroshi? Oi, what's the deal? Why'd you hit me so hard?"

Hiroshi just smiled amusedly and replied, "You were sulking so I thought I'd give you a little jolt of energy!"

Boruto looked at Hiroshi dumbfoundedly and grumbled, "You sure got a weird way of doing it."

Hiroshi just snickered. "Anyways Boruto, why are you out here sulking alone? Did something happen? Wait, don't tell me, did that Urashiki guy appear again? Or perhaps...was it because your mom hasn't stopped scolding you for skipping out on camping with us and lying to her about training camp with your teammates so you could run off to search for Sasuke in Sunagakure?"

Boruto just let out a sigh and shook his head. "No it's nothing like that. I was looking at some old photos with my mom and saw a picture of my dad and his master, Jiraiya. I was asking her about him and wanted to know more. I heard that he wrote a book called Make-out Paradise, but no one would let me read it. Even Sasuke-san forbade me from reading it. Something about me being too young. I don't really get it. I only wanted to learn more about Jiraiya by reading his book."

Hiroshi tilted his head as he thought about it for a moment. "Well, I don't know about the book but I have heard about Jiraiya from my dad before."

Asuka overheard Boruto and Hiroshi's conversation so she chimed in, "If you want to know more about Jiraiya then why don't you go talk to my dad. He knew about master Jiraiya. Maybe he'll know about this book you're talking about too."

Boruto's eyes widened with a newfound determination so he nodded excitedly. "Oh! Good idea Asuka. Hey, wanna come too Hiroshi?"

Hiroshi just smirked. "Do you have to ask? Let's go!"

Iraia and Asuka just shook their heads as they watched the two boys run off. It wasn't long before they both reached Asuka's house and knocked on the door. After waiting a few moments the door opened revealing Haku who stood there a bit surprised as he took note of who was at his front door. Haku raised his eyebrow in curiosity and asked, "Boruto, Hiroshi? What are you two doing here?"

Boruto smiled and replied, "Uncle Haku, Hiroshi and I were wondering if you could tell us about Jiraiya!"

Haku stared at the two kids before him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "I suppose I could." He stepped aside to let them in as he continued, "But why do you want to know about Jiraiya?"

"Eh...Because he was my dad's teacher! So I was just curious. And he also wrote this book called Make-out Paradise! I wanted to read it but no one will let me."

Haku widened his eyes in shock when he heard that Boruto wanted to read Make-out Paradise and quickly interjected, "Ahem. I don't mind telling you about Jiraiya, but you aren't allowed to read Make-out Paradise until you've reached the age of 18. Understood?"

Boruto and Hiroshi were super curious now about this book but simply nodded their head. Haku sighed in relief noting that they both agreed so he continued, "Now then. Jiraiya huh? Hmmm...Well I guess to start off with he was known as one of the Three Legendary Sannin. The other two were Orochimaru and the 5th Hokage, Tsunade. The three of them boasted incredible power and were some of the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived. Jiraiya in particular was skilled in espionage and was a master of many different Jutsus. He mentored not only the 4th Hokage, but also your dad Boruto, the 7th Hokage."

Boruto and Hiroshi listened to Haku's narrative of Jiraiya for awhile before Boruto interjected and asked curiously, "Uncle Haku, Jiraiya sounds like he was an incredibly powerful shinobi, but how did he pass away?"

Haku's facial expression slightly faltered as he remembered that day in Amegakure all those years ago. Boruto and Hiroshi looked at each other curiously as they noticed Haku's solemn look. Haku let out a soft sigh before saying, "Jiraiya...passed away in combat. And valiantly too. He was a true shinobi through and through."

Boruto and Hiroshi were slightly shocked at the answer. Hiroshi furrowed his brow and asked, "How exactly? Who did he fight that was so strong?"

Haku just let out another sigh. "Haaaa...it was a powerful foe. Jiraiya fought against a member of the Akatsuki. A criminal organization back in the day that was after the chakra of the Tailed Beasts. One of their targets was the 7th Hokage. That Akatsuki member possessed the powerful Rinnegan. After a fierce battle Jiraiya was able to gain valuable information on the enemy that allowed Konoha to defeat them."

Boruto and Hiroshi felt the atmosphere become depressing and also felt Haku's sorrow as well when he spoke about it, but they didn't know how to cheer him up. Instead Hiroshi decided to change the topic and asked, "Uncle Haku, can you tell us about the 7th Hokage and my dad? What were they like when they were kids?"

Haku thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright." It wasn't until late at night when Boruto and Hiroshi finally left Haku's place. They both just let out a sigh as they both had the same thought.

_So long!_

As they both were walking around they had discovered that Lord 7th had assigned all Genin and Chunin and most Jonin to search for Urashiki as he was supposedly in the area. They both immediately reported to the Hokage's office, however because they were so late on reporting they were instructed to remain within the building to prevent them from doing anything reckless. They both stood there frustrated that they weren't allowed to help, but Sasuke was able to talk Naruto into letting them roam around with him within the confines of the village. It wasn't long before Urashiki tricked the ninja searching for him with Genjutsu and slipped inside the village unnoticed. The ones who found him were Sasuke, Boruto, and Hiroshi as they chased after him inside some strange sphere of light within the archaeological center. Before they knew it they disappeared and ended up outside somewhere in the village.

Boruto took a glance at his surroundings and smirked. "Heh, what the heck. We're just inside the village. No big deal."

Sasuke frowned as he dashed up on a building and widened his eyes in shock at what he was seeing. "T-This is…"

Boruto and Hiroshi also jumped atop the building to get a better view, however they were also completely stunned. Boruto turned to Sasuke and asked in disbelief, "Oi...Sasuke-san. Why are there only four Hokage faces on the cliffside? It's missing the 5th Hokage, the 6th Hokage, and dad's face. And the village looks a bit different. What's going on?"

Sasuke frowned as he collected his thoughts before replying, "I'm not sure."

Boruto furrowed his brow before he then pulled out an unresponsive turtle from his pocket and asked, "Is it this thing's doing? Urashiki activated it."

It was at that moment the turtle opened its eyes and spoke. "Hello. My name is Karasuki. Warning. We have greatly deviated from the target temporal destination set by Otsutsuki Urashiki. We have arrived in the Konoha of the past just around the time when the 5th Hokage, Tsunade came into power."

Boruto was extremely shocked as he exclaimed, "No way! Seriously?!"

Sasuke turned to the turtle and asked, "Where is Urashiki right now?"

"Because of the deviation I surmise that Urashiki will arrive a few days from now."

Sasuke frowned. "So...Urashiki used this turtle to return to a time point in the past in order to take the Nine Tails chakra from when Naruto was still a kid and hadn't yet mastered his power."

Boruto furrowed his brow in seriousness. "Then...We need to protect dad from Urashiki right?"

Sasuke nodded. Hiroshi simply rubbed the back of his head completely overwhelmed. "Errr...This is crazy...How can there be such a power like this in existence?"

The turtle then interjected, "The source of my power was originally a concept devised by the Heavenly Ocean Sage Owatatsumi of Ryugu-Jo Palace, however after Owatatsumi fell in battle against the Otsutsuki clan they raided his treasures. I was one of those treasures. The Otsutsuki clan made some modifications to me allowing for temporal transfer through time."

Sasuke furrowed his brow after hearing the turtles description. _Ryugu-Jo? Owatatsumi? That's related to the power that Haku uses isn't it? To think that this turtle is actually connected to that._

The turtle then continued, "Now then, let me warn you of some precautions as you are people from the future here in the past. It is best to not let people of the past know that you are from the future. Especially those you have deep connections to. You could end up influencing the future and changing things from how they currently are."

Boruto simply smiled excitedly as he nodded. "Heh, this will be a piece of cake!"

It wasn't long before Sasuke, Hiroshi, and Boruto disguised themselves by changing their outfits and explored the village in search of Naruto. It was then that they actually accidentally bumped into Jiraiya and Naruto and met Tsunade as well. They even learnt about an incident that occurred where a Genin left the village the other day instantly causing Sasuke to awkwardly look away. After Tsunade gave a quick summary of the overall situation she placed Jiraiya and Naruto in charge of monitoring Sasuke, Hiroshi, and Boruto's movements while they were in the village for awhile. Hiroshi was silently shocked.

_Ehhhhh?! To think that we'd not only find uncle Naruto so quickly, but we are even supposed to hang around with them? That's a bit convenient isn't it? This way if that Urashiki guy shows up we'd be there to protect uncle Naruto anyways. _

It wasn't long before Jiraiya decided to ditch leaving Naruto in charge of looking after Sasuke, Boruto, and Hiroshi. Naruto simply took them around town and as the sun was setting Sasuke quickly whispered to Hiroshi and Boruto, "I'm gonna keep my distance for awhile. I'm too close with too many people from the village. If I get too involved in their lives then it could end up affecting the future. Both of you don't leave Naruto's side. Not even for a moment. I'll maintain surveillance from a distance. Oh, and don't forget. Don't blow our cover. I'm counting on you both." With that Sasuke disappeared into the shadows leaving Boruto and Hiroshi dumbfounded at the task Sasuke left them.

The next day they were stuck following Naruto around all day, however it wasn't long before they bumped into several familiar faces. Konohamaru challenged Naruto in a performance of the Sexy Jutsu which caught Sakura's attention who arrived to beat them up. Hiroshi and Boruto just stared at the scene a bit frightened at how vicious Sakura was back in the day. The loud commotion brought several others to the scene such as Neji, Hinata, and Izaya. The moment Hiroshi and Boruto caught sight of Izaya they were instantly lost in their own thoughts.

Boruto took a good look at Izaya and noted that he still wore the blindfold even when he was young. _So this is uncle Izaya? He still has that black blindfold, but he doesn't carry a sword with him. _

Hiroshi took note of his dad and felt a bit nervous. _T-This is dad as a kid? I wish Iraia could see as well! I wonder what dad is like._

At this moment Izaya flinched and stood unmoving as he took note of Boruto and Hiroshi. _W-What?! I-Impossible! T-That looks like Boruto! B-But that can't be! What's going on here? Although I've never seen the Boruto series I recognize his face. That's most definitely Boruto! How is this happening? And who is that standing beside him? His chakra feels really familiar...I-It has a similar feeling to my own...coincidence maybe? _

Izaya was snapped out of his thoughts as Naruto kept calling his name.

"Izaya."

"Izaya?"

"Izaya!"

Finally Izaya's mind returned to reality as he turned to Naruto and apologized. "Ah...sorry Naruto. I was lost in my thoughts for a moment."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders and continued, "This is Boruto and this is Hiroshi. I don't know where the other guy went but they're traveling performers. They stopped by Konoha for a bit. Because of the incident the other day Granny Tsunade is having me monitor them for awhile."

Izaya simply nodded and introduced himself. "Boruto. Hiroshi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Karasuma Izaya. So...where are you both originally from?"

Both Hiroshi and Boruto felt their heart beat quicken in a bit of nervousness as they racked their brains for an answer before Hiroshi quickly replied, "Uh...we...we were orphans before so we didn't really have a home. It was thanks to our current guardian that we were able to live a better life. Now we just travel around everywhere doing performances where we can. I guess you could say that our home is everywhere." He then put on his best convincing smile.

Boruto awkwardly smiled as well and nodded in agreement with what Hiroshi said.

Izaya simply raised an eyebrow obviously suspicious but didn't want to raise too many alarm flags so he nodded and made up a lie to excuse himself, however he secretly remained hidden in the shadows.

_I need to get to the bottom of this. Exactly what is going on? And who is the third person Naruto spoke of. Who is their guardian? I need more information. This is all too strange. For now I'll observe their movements and piece together what I can gather. Don't tell me that they are from the future. If so then how exactly did they get here? _

Izaya widened his eyes in surprise as a realization hit him which made him more curious about the entire ordeal.

_N-No way! Why can I sense my Flying Thunder God Mark on both of them? I'm certain I haven't marked them yet...unless...are they truly from the future and have travelled to the past? Then does that mean I'm alive in the future? They carry my mark from my future self? This is absurd! _

Izaya secretly tracked Boruto and Hiroshi's movements the entire day. As night fell he secretly followed them into the dark forest where he saw them meeting with another person. This time it was an adult instead of a kid. Izaya furrowed his brow as he attempted to find out more about this new person, however his heart skipped a beat in shock.

_What?! This chakra! I can't be mistaken...it belongs to Sasuke! But why does his chakra feel so weak right now? Truly...what is going on here? _

After tracking them from the forest back to Naruto's apartment Izaya paced around on the roof as he tried to figure out what was going on. Currently Naruto, Hiroshi, and Boruto were sleeping whilst Sasuke disappeared somewhere in the area.

_It's no use thinking about it right now. I'm not sure it's wise to confront Sasuke about the matter either. I still don't know what their goal is or why they are here. For now it's probably best to observe them further until I gain more concrete information. There must be a reason why they are simply hanging around the village and not making any big moves. Tch. I'll sleep on it and continue tracking them in the morning._

Just as Izaya woke up the next morning and prepared to head out a messenger bird flew down to his window and knocked on the glass. Izaya raised an eyebrow in curiosity and read the message the bird was carrying before he let out a sigh. "A mission from Hiruzen-sensei? Right now? Tch. It'll take two days to complete. If I truly hurry I could maybe do it in a day. Man what bad timing."

Without wasting any time he dashed out of the window and disappeared into the forest. Rushing with his greatest speed he was able to complete and report his mission to Hiruzen early the next morning.

_Tsk. It still ended up taking a bit longer than I would have liked. _

Izaya stood on top of his apartment roof as he stared at the bright blue sky. He quickly collected his thoughts and sensed for Sasuke's location, however he widened his eyes in shock at the sensation he felt. "T-This chakra is so powerful and sinister! Who's chakra is it?"

Izaya turned towards the direction the chakra was coming from and instantly dashed over to investigate.

Currently at this moment Hiroshi, Boruto, and Naruto were dashing around the forest dodging Urashiki's attack. Hirsohi gritted his teeth in frustration and shouted, "You bastard! Don't think we'll let you succeed in capturing Naruto like you did yesterday!"

Boruto nodded in agreement. "We'll beat you to a pulp this time!"

Urashiki just laughed amusedly as he continued to utilize the lightning style Ninjutsu he stole from Sasuke's chakra to attack the three kids. "Hahaha! Run just like that! Like the lowly human beings you are! Too powerless to do anything!"

Hiroshi frowned at Urashiki's mocking tone.

_Damn this guy! He's too strong! Whatever! Can't think about trying to not blow our cover now! It'll all be worthless if we die here anyways._

Hiroshi quickly dashed backwards and placed his hands together as he shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" Just before the lightning struck him, Boruto, and Naruto, a large wood dome erupted in front of them successfully mitigating the attack, however before Hiroshi even had the chance to perform another move Urashiki arrived before him and kicked him straight into a large tree.

"GUH!" Hiroshi groaned in pain.

Boruto turned in panic. "Hiroshi!"

That moment of distraction was enough for Urashiki to arrive before Boruto and slapped him into a large tree as well.

"GAH!" Boruto cried out.

Naruto watched on in horror as he was powerless to stop Urashiki's attacks. Just as Urashiki was about to snatch Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya arrived just in time to intervene. Sasuke quickly pulled out his sword and slashed down at Urashiki who defended with his fishing rod. Not letting up on the attack Jiraiya appeared behind Urashiki, however Urashiki activated the power of his Rinnegan at that moment and ended up behind Jiraiya greatly confusing everyone. Before Jiraiya could react Urashiki stabbed him in the chest with his rod. Naruto panicked and dashed at Urashiki with a Rasengan only for the same thing to happen where Urashiki appeared behind Naruto causing him to miss. Urashiki simply laughed maniacally and threw out his fishing hook shouting, "Amenosubaruboshinomikoto!" Several tens of red hooks flew through the air straight at Jiraiya, Sasuke, and Naruto, however they were quickly deflected as several tens of shuriken flew out from the forest to intercept the attack.

Ting! Clink! Ting! Clink!

Everyone widened their eyes in shock at the unexpected counterattack and turned their attention to the dark forest. Not a moment later Izaya walked out from the forest's shadow and frowned as he was truly and greatly inwardly shocked.

_What the hell is this?! I'm certain this guy flying in the air is a member of the Otsutsuki clan! He looks similar to Kaguya! But why and how? The Otsutsuki clan isn't supposed to invade until after Kaguya appears and that isn't until much much later. What the hell is going on? _

Urashiki turned to look at Izaya and smirked. "Well now. If it isn't Karasuma Izaya. Hahaha! To think that this is how we'd meet."

Izaya frowned. "What do you mean? You know who I am? What's going on here? And you...you possess the Rinnegan?"

Jiraiya widened his eyes at Izaya's words as he realized that Urashiki did have the Rinnegan and questioned, "N-No way! You're right! This guy possesses the Rinnegan! What is going on here? I thought Nagato was the one who possessed the Rinnegan, but I heard he died long ago."

Urashiki just smirked with amusement. "Heh! Too bad you won't know! You're all going to die anyways! I only need Naruto!" Just as Urashiki was about to press on his attack Izaya quickly took out one of his special kunai and threw it right at Urashiki shouting, "Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fwish!

Several dozens of kunai whizzed through the air right at Urashiki who utilized the power of his Rinnegan to return to the past a few seconds earlier in order to predict and dodge each and every kunai. Izaya frowned at this new development.

"What kind of power is that? It looks like some form of space-time Jutsu, but at the same time it doesn't."

After Urashiki dodged all the kunai he dashed down straight for Izaya and thrust out his fishing rod, however Izaya quickly formed the signs of Tiger, Horse, Tiger, and Snake shouting, "Wood Style: Great Forest Jutsu!" He stuck out his arm straight for Urashiki as large wood tendrils extended from his arm to intercept Urashiki's fishing rod. Urashiki smirked and once again it seemed as if he disappeared before he reappeared by Izaya's side.

Hiroshi watched as Urashiki stabbed straight for Izaya's chest and felt his heartbeat quicken. Tears streamed down his face as he saw Urashiki stab right through Izaya's heart. Hiroshi didn't even realize that a change occurred to his right eye at that moment. He had awakened his Sharingan, but he couldn't care less as the only thing he could do was shout in anguish, "NOOOOOO!"

SCHLICK!

Blood splattered everywhere as everyone widened their eyes in shock at the scene that played out before them, however, in but a fraction of a second later Izaya and that pool of blood puffed into nothing but white smoke. Urashiki widened his eyes in shock. "A Clone?"

It was then that Izaya appeared above Urashiki and shouted, "Chidori!" Just before Izaya's attack could connect Urashiki disappeared once again and arrived behind Izaya as he flung out his fishing hook shouting, "Hahaha! You may be a child still but who knew you were already this annoying. Yes, your chakra should serve me well!" Just as the fishing hook was about to stab through Izaya's chest he disappeared and reappeared in the distance by one of his special kunai. Izaya huffed and panted heavily as he frowned at how completely outmatched he was, however Boruto, Naruto, Hiroshi, Sasuke, and Jiraiya could only stare in shock as they each had their own thoughts on the fight that they bore witness to.

Boruto was simply speechless. _T-This is the power of uncle Izaya when he was my age? I thought I was a genius, but uncle Izaya is too incredible! _

Hiroshi wiped away the tears in his eyes as he worked to calm down his beating heart. _D-Dad! You scared me to death! I-I thought that you had died! _

Jiraiya couldn't believe his eyes at the skill Izaya had just displayed. _I knew Sarutobi-sensei chose to make him his personal disciple for a reason, but what a little monster. He reminds me a lot of Minato. _

Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of the battle either as he felt a mix of emotions. _T-This is how strong Izaya is? The difference between me and him is too much! I need to train even harder than I have been! I never knew Izaya was this powerful! _

And lastly Sasuke stared at Izaya complicatedly. _This is how strong Izaya was back when he was a kid? He was overwhelmingly more powerful than I was. If he wanted to he probably could have prevented me from leaving the village by force, so why didn't he at that time? He was part of the team that was sent to retrieve me. _

Everyone was snapped out of their thoughts when Urashiki floated in the air a bit frustrated, but also a bit amused as he commented, "Well well. Karasuma Izaya. I wonder just how much more powerful you've gotten since you were a child. In that regard I suppose it wasn't such a bad thing that we are meeting like this instead. For you to be able to even counter my powers of clairvoyance. Hehehe! I really want your chakra."

Izaya frowned at Urashiki's comment. "You...I'm truly confused as to what is going on here, but earlier you said that the only one you want is Naruto. You somehow possess the Rinnegan and you have some strange power that you call clairvoyance, however an ability that strong must also have its drawbacks. I reckon your clairvoyance ability has a duration limit."

Urashiki sinisterly smiled. "You're right. There is indeed a duration limit, however it's enough to defeat all of your little parlor tricks."

Izaya frowned and shouted, "Lord Jiraiya, please assist me. Attack with a ranged ability that has a decent spread."

Jiraiya nodded seriously and quickly shouted, "Toad Oil Bomb!" Dozens upon dozens of oil bullets shot straight for Urashiki who simply laughed and utilized the power of his Rinnegan which allowed him to move in a way that allowed for him to dodge all of the incoming bullets, however Izaya stood on the opposite side of Urashiki and threw out his special kunai shouting, "Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fwish!

Dozens upon dozens of his special kunai flew through the air with great speed at Urashiki's back causing him to widen his eyes in shock. Just as Urashiki moved in one direction to avoid an oil bomb he was met with a kunai and if he moved in another direction to avoid the kunai he would be met with an oil bomb. Urashiki gritted his teeth and frowned as he activated the other power of his Rinnegan and turned into nothing but a flock of red origami cranes. He then reappeared in the sky several tens of feet above everyone and licked his lips in annoyance. "Well well. So that was your plan. I must hand it to you Izaya-kun. My investigations led me to believe that you were a thorny opponent, but as a child you still remain a thorn. Hehehe!"

Boruto watched the entire ordeal happen and was confused. "What happened? How come he couldn't keep avoiding the attack like he has been?"

Izaya smirked. "I thought so. Your ability of clairvoyance indeed has a duration limit. It isn't exactly teleportation. If it was you could have simply teleported yourself out of that situation, however you had to use some sort of substitution technique. The wide range and rapid fire technique of our attacks were meant to fill in the gaps where you could possibly dodge in between. If your power really granted you clairvoyance you should have been able to see this, however you had to wait and first experience what was happening before you could make a decision. After you realized that there wouldn't be any space in between the gaps of our attacks for you to safely stand in between you were forced to activate another Jutsu. In other words, your power of clairvoyance isn't to see the future. It's something else entirely."

Urashiki simply smirked amusedly. "Hahaha! Amazing. Truly. Not bad. Indeed my ability doesn't let me see the future, rather it is the power to rewind time and relive an event that took place allowing me to perform a perfect counter against any opponent."

Izaya furrowed his brow in contemplation. "Now that we know how your trick works don't think we'll be so easy to beat."

Urashiki just laughed. "So what if you know how my ability works? Knowing won't help you defeat me at all."

At that moment Sasuke appeared above Urashiki and slashed down with his sword. Urashiki smirked and raised up his fishing rod to defend. Just as his fishing rod and Sasuke's sword made contact Izaya teleported right by Sasuke's side who took one of Izaya's special kunai from the floor with him. Izaya reached out to touch Urashiki's shoulder, however Urashiki utilized the power of his Rinnegan to go back in time and reappear several feet away. Jiraiya utilized that moment to infuse chakra into his hair and wrapped it around Urashiki's foot pulling him down from the air and slammed him into the ground.

Bang!

Urashiki frowned and commented, "Heh! Lucky move."

Jiraiya smirked and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu: Toad Mouth Trap!" In but a mere moment Urashiki, Jiraiya, Hiroshi, Boruto, and Naruto, all of whom were still on the ground were transported inside the stomach of the giant mountain toad of Mount Myoboku. Urashiki simply laughed hysterically. "Hahahahaha! What? You think this can trap me? The inside stomach of a giant toad? Well, no matter. Because of your move the other two can't interfere with us here. I'll just kill you here first."

Jiraiya simply narrowed his eyes in focus and said, "Hiroshi, Boruto, Naruto, conserve your strength."

"Yeah!" They replied seriously. Boruto and Naruto created Shadow Clones to attack Urashiki who simply utilized his Rinnegan to easily avoid and dodge their every move, however it wasn't long before he fell to his knees in pain and coughed out blood. "W-What is this?! What's going on? What did you do?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Heh! Your ability lets you relive an experience more than once, however it also means that you experience more time than us. We are inside the stomach of the great mountain toad. There is an odorless and colorless poison released here that will affect one within 10 minutes, however with your ability you've greatly increased the time in which you experienced the poisons effect."

Urashiki frowned and growled angrily, "D-Damn you!" It was then that the summoning disappeared bringing them back to where they were previously as Hiroshi stuck out his arm and shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!"

Swish!

A wooden snake quickly wrapped itself around Urashiki's body and bit into his neck attempting to suppress his chakra. Hiroshi gritted his teeth and frowned. "He may be weakened right now but I-I can't hold it! His chakra is still too strong!"

Just as Urashiki broke free of Hiroshi's wood snake Boruto and Naruto appeared right in front of him and shouted, "Rasengan!"

BAM!

"GUUUUH!" Urashiki shouted in pain as he was flung through the air uncontrollably and smashed into several large trees in the forest before smashing into a large rock wall and laid flat on his back in pain. Urashiki groaned and burned with fury and anger as he slowly floated back into the air completely disheveled, bruised, and battered. "Y-You damn lowly beings! I shall show you what true power is! I shall punish you all like the lowly dogs you are!" He then proceeded to eat his red chakra gourd before he took out both of his eyes and ate them as well.

Boruto, Naruto, Hiroshi, and Jiraiya stared in shock and disgust at what they witnessed. In but mere seconds a powerful aura swept through the surrounding area as Urashiki's entire being and physique changed. He completely healed as two large jagged horns appeared on his head. His eyes turned completely yellow as a third eye appeared on his forehead revealing itself to be a yellow colored Rinnegan. His feet grew long large claws and his arms transformed into a hybrid of human arms and wings. Jiraiya frowned as he commented, "This is bad! I feel an immense amount of evil chakra from him."

Urashiki laughed evilly as he stared down at them. "Muahahaha! I'm going to enjoy killing all of you! Except you Naruto! I will torture you before extracting the Nine Tails from you!"

FWISH!

Before any of them had a chance to move Urashiki appeared in the midst of them and punched out with both fist before twisting his body and kicking out with both of his feet. That move instantly knocked Hiroshi, Boruto, Naruto, and Jiraiya through the air and crashing into several large trees. He then quickly appeared right before Hiroshi and thrust out his hand aiming to kill him, however Izaya quickly appeared right by Hiroshi's side and teleported him to one of his special kunai in the distance. Urashiki's attack arrived too quickly for Izaya to teleport himself away as well so he quickly ducked causing Urashiki's attack to miss, however the force from Urashiki's attack was so great a powerful wind generated from his thrust causing Izaya to roll and crash uncontrollably through the ground and into several trees.

Urashiki laughed and quickly chased after Izaya as he stabbed with his sharp fingers straight for Izaya's chest, but Izaya finally had a chance to catch his breath from his earlier use of the Flying Thunder God and successfully teleported himself away right next to Hiroshi. The moment he landed next to Hiroshi he dropped to his knees as he panted for air. Hiroshi widened his eyes in shock and alarm as he quickly supported Izaya's bloody and battered body. "Da-...I-Izaya! Are you alright?"

Izaya gritted his teeth and smirked as he replied, "I'm fine. I'm still not very good at teleporting others with the Flying Thunder God yet so I was delayed by a split moment in my ability to teleport myself right after. And on top of that I used up a lot of chakra in the fight earlier. Don't lose focus Hiroshi. Keep your eyes on the enemy. One second of being distracted could mean the end of your life."

Hiroshi gritted his teeth as he stared at Izaya's completely exhausted frame.

_Dad...Not only did you risk your life to save mine, you're completely exhausted. Even then you're completely focused on the battlefield not letting your emotions control your decisions. How can I be like you? How can I be as calm and confident and as strong as you? How am I supposed to catch up to you? If I was only stronger. If I wasn't so weak that you'd have to risk your life to save me and waste your chakra. _

As if Izaya saw through everything Hiroshi was thinking he smiled and gripped Hiroshi by the shoulder encouragingly. "Hiroshi. I'm angry and hurt. I feel frustrated and confused. Do you want to know how I keep myself calm in a situation like this?"

Hiroshi flinched as he heard Izaya speak, almost as if Izaya knew exactly what he was thinking. Hiroshi simply nodded. "Mn. How?"

Izaya smirked. "It's because in a situation like this I remind myself of the people and things that I love and need to protect. So if I lose myself here and let my emotions take over then how can I protect the things most precious to me. So I simply acknowledge what I feel inside. Then I simply overpower those feelings by remembering that I can't protect anything if I'm dead. Feelings of doubt. Feelings of frustration. Feelings of anger, hurt, sadness...It all means nothing if I'm dead. And I would gladly give my own life to save someone who I want to protect. Do you understand?"

Hiroshi widened his eyes as if he finally realized something.

_I'm an idiot. Dad may always seem so calm and collected, but it's not true. He just doesn't show it because dad is carrying so much weight on his shoulders. Did dad realize...that I'm his son? No...it can't be. Dad is awesome but would he actually be able to figure that out?_

Hiroshi was snapped out of his thoughts as Urashiki quickly appeared before them and struck out with his fist, however before his fist could connect Sasuke appeared and expertly blocked the attack. He then performed a quick roundhouse kick knocking Urashiki through the air and off into the distance. Sasuke smiled as he inwardly rejoiced.

_Finally! I've recovered my powers! _

Just as Urashiki recovered from his disoriented state Sasuke appeared before him and slashed downwards with his sword shouting, "Chidori!" Urashiki widened his eyes in shock and twisted his body to dodge, however Sasuke's blade was able to cut off one of Urashiki's jagged horns. Just as Urashiki was about to curse, Sasuke pressed on his attack forcing Urashiki to shut his mouth and continue to dodge Sasuke's onslaught.

Whoosh! Zing! Bang! Boom! Bam!

Urashiki quickly backflipped into the air before shouting, "Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Gyokko!" Several purple orbs of energy flew out straight at Sasuke who simply shouted, "Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama!" A purple skeletal arm appeared by Sasuke's side as it shot forth several large purple magatama beads intercepting Urashiki's attack. Sasuke then placed his hands in the Tiger sign shouting, "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame Jutsu!" He breathed out a large fiery dragon head straight at Urashiki who dodged in the air causing the flaming dragon head to crash into the sky creating dark storm clouds. As it began to rain Urashiki descended towards the ground and shot out several black receiver rods straight at Sasuke who simply stuck out his hands and did the same. Their black receiver rods clashed midair and were deflected to the side.

Sasuke quickly threw his sword a few meters away from Urashiki who laughed and remarked, "What was that? You missed by a mile!" However, Sasuke ignored him and shouted, "Chidori!" Just as Sasuke reached his sword he activated the power of his Rinnegan forcing Urashiki and his sword to switch places. Urashiki widened his eyes in shock, but before he could react Sasuke stabbed him through the chest with his Chidori. Urashiki shouted in pain and anger as he struck Sasuke's chest with his palm effectively causing Sasuke's body to recoil and force out his hand from within Urashiki's chest. Urashiki quickly kicked Sasuke in the side sending him rolling through the air and crashing into a giant rock wall. Just as Urashiki was about to fly over Sasuke smirked and formed a little bit of lightning in his hand as he said, "Kirin!" A loud thundering boom filled the dark stormy sky as a giant dragon made of pure lightning roared and shot straight down at Urashiki electrocuting his entire being. Urashiki didn't have time to react at all as he screamed in agony.

"AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

A giant crater was formed where Urashiki stood as he remained standing in place completely battered and worn. He breathed heavily as he stared furiously at Sasuke. He slowly stepped forward moving his weakened body towards Sasuke. Just before he could make it to Sasuke's location he widened his eyes and dashed backwards just as Jiraiya appeared with a Rasengan in hand. Urashiki frowned and was about to attack Jiraiya, however he turned his head towards Boruto and Naruto at that moment as they pooled their chakra together into one giant massive Rasengan. Urashiki grinned in frustration and anger as he shouted, "Very well! Bring it on!" But before Urashiki could even do anything he felt his movements become restricted as a wooden snake wrapped itself around his body.

Hiroshi gritted his teeth as he did his best to restrict Urashiki's movements. "Gwuuaaaaaaahhh! Naruto! Boruto! Hurry! I don't know if I can hold him much longer!" Just as Urashiki was about to break free from Hiroshi's wooden snake the binding around him had suddenly become stronger causing him to widen his eyes in shock. The wooden snake slowly transformed into an even bigger snake with thorns all over its body, large fangs in its mouth, and two giant horns on its head. Hiroshi felt two hands on his back fueling him with power and increasing his ability to control the Wood Style. It was then he heard Izaya's voice. "Here. Use my power as well. With the both of us he shouldn't be able to break free so easily."

Hiroshi felt a powerful warmth spread within him. It was a feeling of complete safety and ease. He recalled that this was exactly how he felt whenever he was around his dad. A tear fell from Hiroshi's eyes as he nodded and accepted Izaya's power. "Mn. We'll do this together!"

Urashiki struggled with all his might but after Sasuke had greatly weakened him he no longer possessed enough power to resist. The combined power from Hiroshi and Izaya utilizing their Wood Style to suppress and bind him was too strong for him to break free from and it was at this moment that Naruto and Boruto arrived before him as they shouted, "Rasengan!"

Urashiki could only scream in anguish. "DAAAAAMMNNN YOOOUUU!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The force generated from the attack instantly cleared the skies of the dark clouds whilst also creating a giant crater in the area. Urashiki's body was completely destroyed without a single trace left of him. Everyone simply stared in awe at the now clear blue sky in complete silence and relief. The only sound that could be heard was the heavy panting of Izaya, Hiroshi, Boruto, and Naruto as they had completely over exhausted themselves. It was then that they all four dropped to the ground completely unconscious and asleep with a smile plastered on their faces.

Sasuke and Jiraiya simply looked down at the four of them and smirked.

"These four are going to go far." Jiraiya commented with a smile.

Sasuke nodded with a smile as well. "Yeah. I know they will." It was then that Sasuke turned his head in the direction of the village as he sensed other shinobi heading their way. Jiraiya noticed Sasuke's action and said, "Konoha shinobi?"

Sasuke nodded. "Probably. After all the commotion and mess we made there's no way they wouldn't have noticed."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "It'd be a problem if you were discovered here right?"

Sasuke nodded.

Jiraiya simply let out a sigh before smiling and said, "Well then, why don't you take Hiroshi and Boruto and leave. They should be fine after a bit of rest. I'll take care of Izaya and Naruto as well as the Leaf shinobi. Besides, we can meet up later. I reckon there's quite a lot of things we need to discuss and there are probably things that we shouldn't have learnt about."

Sasuke nodded and picked up Boruto and Hiroshi before asking, "And what will you tell them?"

Jiraiya just laughed. "Hahaha! Well, I'll just tell them that I had Izaya help out with Naruto's training today and it got a bit too intense. The Nine Tails went on a little rampage but I was able to suppress it with a Sealing Jutsu."

Sasuke nodded in agreement before he disappeared with Hiroshi and Boruto in hand.

The next day Sasuke, Boruto, and Hiroshi waited in a forest nearby Konoha as Jiraiya and Naruto met up with them. After they spoke a bit Sasuke utilized his Sharingan to erase their memories. It was then he looked up to the shadows of the trees and said, "Come out. I know you're there."

Fwish!

Izaya jumped down from the treetop and landed on the ground as he responded, "As expected of you. Uchiha Sasuke."

"EEEEEHHHH?!" Boruto and Hiroshi exclaimed in complete shock at the revelation that Izaya figured out who Sasuke was. Sasuke just let out a sigh as he had already suspected that Izaya knew the truth.

"How long have you known?" Sasuke asked defeatedly.

Izaya just smiled amusedly. "Hmm...how should I put this? I guess I've known nearly the entire time you three have been here."

"EEEHHH?!" Once again Boruto and Hiroshi could only exclaim in shock as Boruto remarked, "Was our disguise and acting that bad?"

Izaya just laughed. "You could say that."

Hiroshi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and asked, "How did you find out who Sasuke was?"

Izaya stared at Hiroshi for a moment as he was lost in his thoughts before responding, "To be honest I was suspicious of you two the moment we met. I'm a sensory type ninja so your chakras felt very familiar. After tailing you both in the shadows for a bit I discovered you both meeting with Sasuke. I knew immediately who Sasuke was from his chakra. Then it didn't take me long to guess who you two were."

"EEEEHHH?!" Hiroshi and Boruto exclaimed at the revelation that Izaya had guessed who they were as well and not just Sasuke. Boruto awkwardly asked, "T-Then you know who Hiroshi and I are? How?"

Izaya just stared amusedly at Boruto and Hiroshi's reactions as he proceeded to explain, "First, oddly enough you both bear the mark of my Flying Thunder God Seal. I'm certain we've never met before so how would it be possible that you both bear my unique seal? After discovering the meeting you both had with Sasuke I knew something crazy must have happened. The Sasuke you both met with was an older version of the Sasuke I knew. And the only way you both could bear my unique seal is if I placed it on you. If I didn't put it on you then a me from another time did. I assume an adult version of myself did. Boruto, you are undoubtedly Naruto's son. You bear the unique whisker-like birthmark on your cheeks just like Naruto. You have similar physical features and similar auras. You can even utilize the Rasengan and sync your chakra with him."

Izaya then turned to Hiroshi and smiled softly and warmly as he wasn't sure how to truly feel at this moment. A moment of silence passed between them before Izaya took a deep breath and said, "Hiroshi. I wasn't truly certain of your identity until we fought alongside each other against Urashiki. I kept thinking to myself that it wasn't possible. That perhaps the connection I felt between us was just a coincidence, but I'm definitely certain of it now. Ummm...i-it's a bit strange for my twelve year old self to say this but...errr...I-" Before Izaya could finish his sentence Hiroshi nodded embarrassingly and said, "I understand! Umm...ahem...I guess it is a bit strange to hear my twelve year old dad speak like he has a son...Ugh...I can't really imagine myself doing it if I was put in your position."

Izaya just smiled at Hiroshi's response and said, "Your aura...It's just like Hanabi's..."

Sasuke coughed and interjected at this moment, "Ahem! I've already erased Jiraiya and Naruto's memory of these events. I assume you don't mind either correct?"

Izaya shook his head. "No, that is the main reason why I'm here. It wouldn't be good for me to know of these events that unfolded. Have you removed the memories of everyone you came into contact with?"

Sasuke nodded. "I have. You're the last one."

"I see...well, this has definitely been a strange experience for me. I'm sure for all of you as well. I don't understand completely about what's happening in the future, but I suppose that's something I can only leave up to you all of the future. Please make sure to erase my memories very thoroughly Sasuke. I need to remove my blindfold for your Sharingan to work, but please place my blindfold back on me afterwards."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. Izaya then untied his blindfold revealing his Sharingan in both eyes as Boruto stared with curiosity as he has never truly seen his uncle Izaya without his blindfold. _So that's what uncle Izaya looks like without the blindfold. Cool!_

Sasuke stared at Izaya's eyes and activated the power of his Sharingan erasing Izaya's memories of the events that took place. He then walked over to Izaya and like he promised, tied the blindfold back around Izaya's eyes. It was then that Boruto brought out the turtle Karasuki. Karasuki opened its eyes and looked around before saying, "Good morning everyone. Did you enjoy your time here?"

Sasuke just let out a sigh as he looked down at the small turtle. "We'd like to borrow your power to return home."

Karasuki nodded. "Very well. I have regained enough chakra thanks to this one carrying me around and sticking nearby a source of immense chakra. I can indeed take you all home."

"Can you take us back to the point where we just left?"

"Indeed I can. That won't be a problem."

Sasuke massaged the middle of his brow from all the insanity that happened the past couple days and let out a sigh of relief. "Boruto, Hiroshi, let's go."

Hiroshi stared at Izaya's unconscious form on the forest floor feeling a bit sad that they were parting, however he quickly dashed over to Sasuke and Boruto as Karasuki began to transport them back to their own time.

_Dad. It sure was great getting to meet you as a kid. And to fight alongside you. I learnt so much. Mom was right. You didn't really change. You were just as awesome as a kid as you are as my dad! I hope you come back home soon. I know I met you when you were a kid, but I'd rather see you as my dad at home. Mn. That'd be best. _

Zing!

In but a few minutes the three of them arrived back in that archaeological building right before they disappeared as the three of them had the same exact thought.

_We're finally back! _


	11. Izaya's Return

**AN: Hey everyone I haven't written an author's note in awhile. Hope you've all been doing well. As I read through the reviews I want to thank everyone who has continued to be supportive of me and the story so thank you very much! As for those who feel dissatisfied with the story, I can only apologize. Once again no work of fiction is perfect. Or perhaps there are works of fiction you find that are perfect, but at least I'm not claiming that mine is. **

**Alright that's all I really wanted to say, once again, thanks :) **

**P.S. I had attempted my best at drawing Izaya. I am not a great artist, but I gave it my best effort. If you want to get a closer look at the image then it is on deviant art. Just go to the deviant art webpage and type "Izaya Karasuma" in the search bar. Look for the creator under onetime3 and that's it. **

* * *

Chapter 11

A cool wind breezed through the air as the moonlight shined down below Konoha. The village itself had gone mostly quiet as most of the people were now asleep in the comfort of their homes. At this moment several crows were flying above the village in complete silence before one of them flew down and perched on the shoulders of a very famous shinobi. It was precisely the 6th Hokage. Izaya stood atop his stone head on the cliffside of Konoha as he looked down at the village below and slightly frowned. He took note of where the public arena used to be and how it was currently under reconstruction. The area surrounding it was a complete and utter mess.

_What in the world happened while I was gone? Was it the Otsutsuki? But still...only the arena area was damaged. An accident then? _

He let out a soft sigh as he observed his torn clothes. His shirt had multiple rips and tears in it whilst his pants were torn where it didn't cover anything below his knees. His haori was also half gone. Senko made a comment from within Izaya's mental psyche to break the silence. "Well...it went better than expected. Seems you truly haven't lost your touch."

Izaya just let out a sigh as he lightly touched his bag where two large red chakra fruits were currently contained in a sealed container. "It took more time than I would have liked."

Senko nodded but still praised, "Regardless you were able to stop the Tengu's leader from becoming the Ten Tails Jinchuriki and sealed the Ten Tails into a moon."

"Heh. Even though I succeeded in preventing the Tengu's leader from doing so Aseiyo, the leader of the Human faction was able to use that time to become a Jinchuriki of the Ten Tails himself."

"Even so it couldn't be helped given the situation. If you didn't intervene when you did you would either be fighting against two Ten Tails Jinchuriki or you would be fighting against someone with the power of two Ten Tails. In the end you managed to not only defeat Aseiyo, you sealed him and his Ten Tails into another moon."

"It wasn't easy though. Having to seal and extract two of the Ten Tails chakra and condensing them into these chakra fruits took a long time. They held quite a lot of chakra."

"Mn. It's best to store them away. Will you transport them to your safehouse in the Sage continent?"

Izaya nodded. "Yes. I can't just carry them around with me. They hold too much chakra. It'll be bad if they end up in the wrong hands. Plus with my safehouse in the Sage continent, thanks to the natural energies there I took advantage of it using it to increase the power of all the barriers and seals I placed on the safehouse. Even if members of the Otsutsuki clan eventually discover that I am in possession of these chakra fruits and somehow discover where I hid them it'd be very difficult for them to breach my defenses."

"True. Now I wonder what happened here in Konoha. The arena seems to be partially destroyed."

Izaya furrowed his brow thinking for a moment before he simply shrugged his shoulders. "No use speculating. I could just get an answer from Naruto in the morning." He then grabbed the two containers holding two large red chakra fruits and teleported them away.

"What now?" Senko questioned.

"What else? I'll go home."

Senko raised an eyebrow questioningly and commented, "Looking like that?"

Izaya then remembered that his current appearance was less than appropriate. "Uhh...right. I suppose I should change first. Hanabi would definitely be worried if she saw me like this."

In but an instant Izaya disappeared and flew to one of his safehouses hidden and scattered throughout Konoha. There he took a quick shower and changed into some spare clothes before he flew back to the side of one of his crows that was currently perched atop the Hyuga residence. He quietly walked through the compound and through several rooms before ending up just outside his and Hanabi's bedroom door. He took a deep breath before carefully opening the door not wanting to make any noises that could disturb Hanabi's sleep. As he entered the dark room his Rinnegan let him see everything clearly. He simply smiled as he saw Hanabi asleep peacefully, however he frowned in the next moment as he noticed Hanabi's breathing become rapid. She began to slowly twist and turn uncomfortably in bed as she whispered words of anguish. Izaya gritted his teeth as he heard Hanabi sleep-talk.

_She's having a nightmare._

At that moment he heard Hanabi whisper, "Don't leave me...Izaya...You can't die…you promised you'd come back..."

Izaya instantly sat down on the edge of their bed and embraced Hanabi in a tight hug.

"Hanabi, wake up."

"Hanabi."

"Hanabi!"

"Hanabi!"

It was then that Hanabi was startled awake as she heavily breathed in and out. She felt warm and strong arms around her frame but was scared for a moment that some stranger intruded into the house, however she quickly calmed down at the all too familiar scent and feel of the person currently holding her.

"Izaya...you're back." She whispered as a tear fell from her eyes.

Izaya smiled softly and slowly let her go so he could see her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I am."

Hanabi quickly pulled Izaya into another tight hug and squeezed. They remained like that for a few minutes before Hanabi let go. "I missed you. Izaya…"

Izaya gently kissed her forehead. "You were having a nightmare. Are you alright? You haven't had nightmares like that since the 4th Great Ninja War. How often do you have one like the one you just had?"

Hanabi bit the bottom of her lips and turned her head away without meeting Izaya's gaze. Izaya frowned at her action and asked again, but a bit more sternly this time. "Hanabi. Tell me. Is it because of me?"

Hanabi quickly shook her head. "It's not like that!"

Izaya frowned at her answer. "If it's not like that then tell me." He saw Hanabi clench her hands in a fist and knew that she was bottling up her worries inside so he gently grabbed her hands in his and softly kissed them causing her to loosen up her fists. With a soft whisper he pleaded, "Please…"

Hanabi finally let out a soft sigh and turned back to look at Izaya who had a loving and concerned expression on his face. "Alright…"

Izaya held Hanabi in his arms and asked once more, "So...how often do you have these nightmares?"

"It's not really set. Sometimes twice a week. Other times three."

Izaya frowned at how often they occurred. "When do they happen?"

A moment of silence passed between them causing Izaya to frown even more.

"Hanabi."

Hanabi let out a soft sigh and bit the bottom of her lips as she whispered, "Only when you're gone. But it doesn't happen all the time you're gone. J-Just some of the time. And only recently."

Izaya squeezed Hanabi's smaller frame closer to his. "How recent?"

"Just this past year."

Izaya let out a defeated sigh. "I'm horrible. I'm sorry Hanabi. I had no idea that you were going through something like this for the past year."

Hanabi shook her head. "It's not your fault. I should have a better handle on things like this by now."

"Hanabi, please stop it. It's my fault. For leaving you and the kids for such a long period of time. You can blame me. In fact you should. I won't let you take the blame for this. Why didn't you tell me?"

Hanabi clutched Izaya's shirt as she snuggled into his chest. "I didn't want to worry you over something like this. It's only a nightmare. I don't want you to lose focus or worry about us or get distracted while you're off in some other unknown dimension."

Izaya frowned. "Hanabi. These kinds of things. No, anything at all. I want you to tell me. Any worries, anything stressful, anything at all. Please let me know. I'll come back immediately. You only have to write in a message in the scroll I left you. I reverse summon it to my side at the end of every month before teleporting it back."

Hanabi frowned. "That's why I didn't tell you. Because I know you would come back. You would abandon everything just for us. You're going out there and risking your life everyday to search for clues, answers, information, anything that could be of help to the entire world so how can I be that selfish? To keep you here?"

Izaya smiled with a complicated mix of sadness and happiness at how selfless his wife was and lifted her chin so that he could stare at her eyes. He removed his blindfold so that they were now truly staring at the depths of each other's souls. "Hanabi. You are my wife. You have every right to be more selfish for me. You have every right to demand more of my time whenever and wherever you want it. Remember all those years ago during the 4th Great Ninja War? Right when I returned all battered up and bruised you bandaged up my wounds. You told me the same thing back then. You apologized to me for being selfish. You apologized because you said you didn't want to hold me back. And remember what I told you back then?"

Hanabi felt her emotions stir as she recalled those memories from so long ago. "You said that I gave you strength. That you never once thought I was holding you back."

"And what did you tell me right after?"

Hanabi's lips curled into a slight smile as she softly replied, "I said that you give me the strength to move forwards."

Izaya gave her a quick kiss on the cheeks and rested his forehead against hers before continuing, "That's right. Then you told me that I didn't have to act so tough in front of you as you kept patching up my wounds. And I told you that you never have to keep things bottled up to yourself because with me, all your pain, hardships, frustrations, the anger, sadness, and hurt, I promised that I would share them all with you."

A tear fell from Hanabi's eyes as she recalled those memories from so long ago and she couldn't help but smile as the images and words came flooding back to her. Izaya smiled as he felt Hanabi's mood slowly improving. He kissed the tears from her face and slowly laid down on the bed dragging Hanabi down with him. He pulled the blanket over them and cuddled her into his chest as he commented, "That was also the day we made our relationship official and you claimed me as your idiot."

Hanabi couldn't help but feel a loving warmth fill her up inside and let out a soft laugh at the memory. "Those were your words...heh...but you really are my idiot."

Izaya smirked and nodded. "I am. I always will be."

In but mere moments her entire body began to relax as she began to get drowsy. She slowly began to nod off into a peaceful sleep as she attempted to say in a soft whisper, "You always...know...how to...make me feel...better...love...you…" And sleep finally took her over.

Izaya let out a sigh as he was frustrated with himself for not realizing Hanabi's feelings of anxiety and insecurities in the past year. "I'm sorry for not realizing sooner Hanabi. I won't ask you or the kids to forgive me. I'll do better. I promise. I love you." And soon sleep took him over as well.

The next morning Hiroshi and Iraia were sitting in the kitchen as they both stared at the clock a bit confused so Hiroshi asked, "Hey sis, it's 8:30 in the morning but mom isn't up yet. Isn't she usually awake at like 7? And today we're supposed to celebrate grandpa's birthday. I thought mom would be up preparing to bake grandpa's cake."

Iraia was silent for a few moments before nodding in agreement with Hiroshi's assessment. "It does seem a bit strange that mom would choose today of all days to sleep in. Why don't you go and check on mom. I'll stay here and make some breakfast for everyone."

"Alright." Hiroshi quickly dashed through the house until he stood just outside Hanabi's room and knocked.

"Mom..."

"Mom?.."

"Mom! Are you alright?"

With no response Hiroshi simply raised his eyebrow questioningly and slowly opened the door, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was Hanabi in her room, but Izaya as well.

"D-Dad?!"

Izaya stirred as he heard all the racket Hiroshi was making and slowly sat up in the bed as he groggily replied, "Mnnn...Hiroshi? What is it?"

Hiroshi just stood there a bit dumbfoundedly. "Y-You're back?! I mean...Ahem. You're back."

Izaya smirked at Hiroshi's reaction and threw his pillow straight at Hiroshi prompting him to widen his eyes in surprise as he quickly caught the incoming pillow. "O-Oi! What was that for dad?"

Izaya just laughed. "What's with your reaction? Did you think I wouldn't come back?"

Hiroshi smirked and replied, "I was surprised that's all. Sis and I were wondering why mom wasn't awake yet. Let me guess, another super super long night talk and mom was helping you out?" He then threw the pillow back as Izaya simply let the pillow hit him in the face before it fell on the bed.

His face turned a hint of pink as he heard Hiroshi's remark and replied, "Ahem. Actually yes. I returned home very late last night so your mom and I were talking." At that moment Hanabi stirred awake from all the noise in the room and slowly sat up on the bed rubbing her eyes. She took note of Hiroshi standing by the door and yawned before asking, "Hiroshi, what time is it?"

Hiroshi smiled feeling happy at the sight of his mom and dad. "It's 8:30 in the morning. Sis is making breakfast downstairs. I thought I'd come check on you since you're usually awake already but I guess I didn't need to. Don't worry about sis and I. Mom, you look a bit tired so go ahead and take your time. And dad, it's good to see you." Hiroshi quickly left the room and dashed to tell Iraia the good news.

Izaya and Hanabi just sat next to each other as they watched Hiroshi leave the room in great haste and simply smirked.

"We should probably get up Izaya. We can't let the kids do all the work."

As Hanabi walked to the bathroom connected to their room she undressed and got into the shower. Izaya bit his lips at the sight of her and took a deep breath. He shrugged his shoulders and whispered to himself, "She did that on purpose right? Undressing in front of me like that? On purpose or not there's no way I'm letting her get away with it."

Just as Hanabi turned on the hot water letting it fall on her body relaxingly she couldn't help but let out a yelp in pleasant surprise as the shower door opened. Izaya bent his head down near her ear and slowly snaked his hands down the curves of her soft, smooth, and slippery body washing her with soap as he whispered, "May I join you?"

Hanabi's breathing became rapid as she moaned in pleasure and struggled to give a response. "I-Izaya! Haaaaa...Ngh!...we don't...Aaahhh! Yes!...wait...we don't...have time."

Izaya simply smirked mischievously at Hanabi's response. "This is what you wanted isn't it? You can't just tease me like that and say no. Besides, your body says differently. Oh, and Hiroshi said to take our time so I very much plan to."

Hanabi could only bite the bottom of her lip in anticipation as she turned to face Izaya and took in his completely naked and well built muscular form. He towered over her 170cm tall frame at a height of 188cm. She didn't waste any time at all as she roamed his body with her hands also lathering his body in soap. Izaya gritted his teeth and groaned deeply in pleasure. He had missed the feel of her touch. Of her body. Of her love. He had missed her so much. They washed each other for another minute or so before Hanabi tiptoed on her feet and wrapped her arms around Izaya's neck lowering his head so she could whisper in his ears. "Take me."

Izaya couldn't even give a verbal response. He simply obeyed her words and lifted her entire body into the air. Hanabi yelped in pleasurable surprise and wrapped her legs around Izaya's waist as he pinned her back on the steaming wet shower glass door and like she commanded, he took her. Over and over and over again. It wasn't until an hour and a half later that they both made their way to the kitchen prompting Iraia to quickly hug Izaya and greet him. She and Hiroshi decided that they'd wait for their parents to wake up before eating breakfast so they could all eat together as long as their parents were awake before noon, therefore Iraia quickly heated up the breakfast she prepared for all of them. After they all ate in happy silence Hanabi commented, "The kids participated in the Chunin Exams."

Izaya slightly flinched as he recalled that the time for the Exams really did pass already. "Oh? The Chunin Exams huh? So, what did you both think? Were they like you thought they were or were they completely different from your expectations?"

Iraia and Hiroshi said at the same time, "The first test was weird. But other than that the other tests were fine."

Izaya raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Weird? How so?"

Hiroshi smirked and replied, "Well, the proctor of the first exam was Police Chief Sai and it was actually a true or false quiz when in reality that was also a disguise for the true test of the exam which was to not fall into a pool of black ink."

Izaya awkwardly smiled at the thought that Sai was the proctor of the first exam. "Sai huh? Heh, well I can see him doing something like that for the first exam. Mn. So, did anyone make it to Chunin?"

Iraia and Hiroshi felt a bit awkward to say anything, but in the end Iraia reported, "Shikadai, Zen, and Hiroshi were promoted to Chunin."

Izaya was a bit surprised at the results Iraia had just stated, but nodded acceptingly. "So, Shikadai, Zen, and Hiroshi huh? I see. Then...Hiroshi, congratulations! Now that you're officially a Chunin you'll probably get to participate in the Five Great Games this year."

Iraia nervously fidgeted in her chair a bit as she asked, "You're not disappointed in me papa?"

Izaya simply smiled and walked over to Iraia as he gently kissed the top of her forehead. "Disappointed? No. I wouldn't be disappointed over something like this. As long as you didn't betray your ninja way and as long as you did what you thought was right, following your heart, then there's nothing to be disappointed about."

Iraia nodded her head as she inwardly felt a weight lift off of her shoulders from the confirmation that Izaya didn't harshly judge her for not becoming a Chunin. "I'll work harder papa, so that I can catch up to you faster."

Izaya smiled at his daughter's resolve and nodded. "Mn. And I don't doubt that you will catch up to me one day. I'm glad the results of the Chunin Exams didn't damper your spirit. And just so you both know, becoming a Chunin or not becoming a Chunin doesn't mean that it's an obstacle on your path to become stronger. After all, your uncle Naruto, Sasuke, and Kimimaro technically never became Chunin. At least they didn't become official Chunin by means of the Chunin Exams."

"Ehhhh? They didn't?" Both Iraia and Hiroshi inquired. Izaya chuckled at their reaction and shook his head. "Nope they didn't. I can tell you all about it another time. By the way, mom told me that we're throwing your grandpa a birthday party later so I'm going to go help her prepare the things we need okay?"

"Mn!" They both nodded before dashing off into the village leaving Izaya and Hanabi alone in the kitchen as they started making the cake. It wasn't until 4 in the afternoon when Iraia and Hiroshi returned alongside Boruto and Himawari. Naruto and Hinata also arrived at the Hyuga residence a few minutes later. Himawari quickly ran into the kitchen and shouted, "Uncle Izaya! You're back!"

Izaya smiled and picked her up, hugging her lightly. "And how is my little niece doing? No one's causing you any trouble are they?"

Himawari happily shook her head. "Nope."

Just as Izaya gently placed her back on the ground she dashed off and grabbed a black iron pot from Naruto's hands and brought it back to show Izaya. "Uncle look! It's Shukaku!"

Izaya raised his eyebrows confused and surprised as he couldn't sense Shukaku's chakra, however he took note of the sealing tag on the bottom of the pot and understood why. "Oi, Shukaku, you're not going to just remain hiding inside that pot are you?"

Shukaku slowly lifted its head out of the pot and stared at Izaya as he responded in that high pitch voice of his. "Hehehe...Well if it isn't the 6th Hokage. I see you are doing well."

Izaya smirked. "You look nervous Shukaku. Is something wrong?"

Shukaku slightly panicked a little before quickly replying, "Ah, no no. Nothing is wrong. Don't mind me. Anyways it was nice to see you." He then ducked back inside his iron pot.

Boruto tilted his head in confusion and whispered to Hiroshi, "Hey, Shukaku's acting a bit weird isn't he? He's so obedient in front of uncle Izaya."

Hiroshi just shrugged. "He's been living with you guys so I can't really say. Besides, I thought that he was supposed to be brought back to Sunagakure and placed under protection in the new safehouse they constructed."

Boruto nodded but simply shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, after the whole Urashiki incident a couple days ago the Tailed Beasts no longer needed to be placed under protection. So Shukaku decided that he'd stick around for a bit and really get the full Konoha experience. Dad said that Shukaku will be brought back to Sunagakure sometime tomorrow. By the way did you mention going back in time and how you got to meet uncle Izaya when he was a kid?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "No. I haven't yet. Wouldn't it be awkward?"

Boruto just smirked. "Maybe or maybe not. Dad knew because Sasuke-san told him, but it wasn't awkward when we talked about it. Truthfully going back in time helped me understand dad more."

The door to the kitchen opened at this moment prompting everyone to stop the conversations they were having and turn their attention to who it was. Himawari widened her eyes with joy as she shouted, "Grandpa!"

Hiashi smiled as he rushed straight at Boruto, Himawari, Hiroshi, and Iraia grabbing them all together in one giant hug. The same thought passed through all of their minds at that moment.

_Ugh! Why is grandpa so strong. He's crushing me. _

As dinner time rolled around the corner everyone sat neatly around the table. Hiashi sat at the head of the table while Hinata sat on his right side followed by Naruto, Boruto, and Himawari. On Hiashi's left side sat Hanabi, Izaya, Hiroshi, and Iraia. The nine of them happily chatted and ate dinner and cake in celebration of Hiashi's birthday. It was then that Naruto commented, "The Five Great Games are being held in a couple months. It'll be the second one ever held."

Izaya thought about the Games for a moment and asked, "Where will they be held this time?"

"Iwagakure is going to be hosting."

"Oh? So Kurotsuchi huh? And Kimimaro will be there too! I haven't seen him in awhile."

Hanabi quickly chimed in, "So, do you know which teams from Konoha are going?"

Naruto shook his head and sighed. "Not really. Since only Chunins and Jonins can sign up I'm not really sure which teams to send. Each village can only send a maximum of three teams. I've been thinking of having Shikadai, Zen, and Hiroshi form a team with Konohamaru to compete, but nothing is set in stone yet."

Hiroshi widened his eyes with expectation when he heard Naruto's comment. "Alright! Sign me up!"

Everyone simply laughed at Hiroshi's enthusiasm. Boruto grumbled to himself saying something about unfortunately not being a Chunin yet and that he'd like to participate too. Naruto awkwardly scratched the back of his head at Boruto's comment and changed the topic. "Boruto, how's your training going with Sasuke?"

At Naruto's question Boruto replied with confidence, "It's going well for the most part. Sasuke-san showed me his Chidori and told me to think of how I can improve on my own Ninjutsu. I have my Vanishing Rasengan, but I still don't know how I can improve on it. I have Lightning Ninjutsu, Wind Ninjutsu, and Water Ninjutsu but I can't do anything as amazing as Sasuke-sans Chidori yet."

Izaya thought about what Boruto said for a moment before advising, "You have quite an arsenal of techniques Boruto. They should serve you well for now. Inventing new Jutsus or improving on an existing one will come with time and experience. Eventually new ideas will come to you with the more battle experience you gain, but first work on creating a strong foundation."

Iraia nodded in agreement and commented, "Papa, uncle Haku once told me that you created a new Jutsu too and improved on many others. Is it okay if you show us the Jutsu you created?"

Boruto and Hiroshi widened their eyes with anticipation and nodded in agreement. Izaya awkwardly looked at Hanabi who playfully winked at him causing him to let out a sigh in defeat. He stood up and said, "Well I suppose I could. Follow me to the courtyard training grounds."

As Izaya walked to the training grounds he simply shook his head in amusement as he noted that not only were Iraia, Hiroshi, and Boruto following him, but so was everyone else.

_I thought only the kids wanted to see. Everyone else didn't have to go out of their way and get up as well. Ah well, can't be helped. _

As Izaya stood in the center of the training ground within the Hyuga compound he held out his right hand. "Now watch carefully."

In but a mere moment a powerful sphere of dense golden light appeared in his hand as a loud humming sound like that of pure energy thrummed in the surrounding area. The four kids stared with their eyes wide open in shock at how powerful and warm the technique felt. Then Izaya thrust the technique right into a boulder causing it to disintegrate to dust shocking the kids even more than they already were. After a few seconds passed they finally returned to their senses as Hiroshi questioned, "D-Dad, what is that Jutsu?"

"It's called the Sun Sphere. I developed this Jutsu after thinking about whether it was possible to combine the principles of the Rasengan with the principles of the Chidori. This Jutsu is possible by using the Rasengan as a base, however unlike the Rasengan this Jutsu is spun at about 75% the speed of the Rasengan. I then incorporate Wind nature to form a spherical tunnel, Fire nature to generate immense heat, Water nature to contain the flames and mixed it with the Fire nature forming a powerful boiling steam contained within the Wind nature. This creates an incredibly dense mass of immense pressure and heat within the spherical volume in my hand and finally, Lightning nature is mixed into the incredibly hot dense mass of boiling rotating steam increasing the penetrative and destructive force of the Jutsu. It's classified as an S-rank Jutsu."

Hiroshi, Iraia, and Boruto simply stared with awe at Izaya and a bit of fear as well when they looked back at where the boulder used to be. Boruto quickly reigned in his emotions and asked, "Uncle Izaya, does that mean if I experience more battles I could eventually come up with a Jutsu as powerful as yours? Wait, in fact I already know how to use the Rasengan and mixed my Lightning nature with it creating a Vanishing Rasengan. I have Water and Wind release too! Tch...but I don't have Fire release yet so I guess I can't really learn how to use the Sun Sphere huh?"

Izaya simply smiled. "It's true that the more battles you experience the more likely you are to come up with some new ideas for creating or improving Jutsus, but that doesn't mean you should go looking for trouble or go put yourself in a dangerous situation just to do it. Understand?"

Boruto nodded.

Hiroshi then chimed in, "Dad, can we spar then? Fighting against you should be okay right? And it's been a long time since you've trained me!"

Boruto widened his eyes with interest and nodded in agreement. "Uncle Izaya I've never gotten to train with you before, spar with me too!"

Izaya awkwardly turned to look at Hanabi, Hinata, and Naruto seeking their interference, however they simply awkwardly looked back. It was Hiashi who nodded his head and agreed. "Mn. An excellent idea. I would like to see a match like this one."

Hiroshi and Boruto cheered while Izaya simply let out a sigh and turned his attention back to them. "Alright. Since your grandpa says it's okay then we'll have a little spar. Boruto, since you can use the Rasengan then I won't use the Rasengan. I also won't use my special Jutsu the Sun Sphere. I also hear that one of your favorite Jutsus to use was the Shadow Clone Jutsu. In that case I won't use the Shadow Clone Jutsu either. Hiroshi, since you're skilled in the Wood Style I won't use the Wood Style. How does that sound?"

Boruto raised his eyebrow curiously. "Are you sure you're going to be alright uncle?"

Hiroshi gently elbowed Boruto in the side. "Oi. Accept the handicaps or we'll lose terribly. Dad isn't a pushover."

Boruto recalled the time when he witnessed Izaya fight as a kid and quickly nodded in agreement. "Ah right right. Forget what I said uncle Izaya. I accept the handicaps."

Izaya nodded before he formed the Clone hand sign creating four Shadow Clones. Boruto's expression became confused as he commented, "Ehhhh? Wait, I thought you weren't going to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

Izaya just smirked. "Don't worry I'm not. Just watch." Izaya's four clones walked to the corners of the training yard and placed their hands together as they said, "Confinement Barrier." A giant purple barrier rose up around the training yard protecting the nearby residential structures in the area. Izaya then stood in the middle of the field. "Now you can use whatever attack you like without having to worry about accidentally destroying the Hyuga compound. The barrier will let anyone from the outside step in, but everything inside the barrier will be kept inside." He then took out a silver bell and hung it on his waist as he proceeded to explain, "I'm sure you're both familiar with this by now. Take the bell from me if you can. Come at me with everything you've got. We can start right...now."

Hiroshi and Boruto grinned and dashed right at Izaya as they both engaged him in close quarter combat. Izaya easily dodged, parried, blocked, and countered their every move. He raised up his left arm and expertly knocked Boruto's palm strike to the side right into Hiroshi's incoming punch.

Bam!

With Boruto and Hiroshi temporarily startled, Izaya easily tripped Hiroshi's feet causing him to stumble right into Boruto knocking them both into the ground. Frustrated they both got up and attacked again in a flurry of Taijutsu. At this point Hiroshi had his Byakugan activated, however no matter how he attacked Izaya easily countered him. Boruto tried to perform a sneak attack from behind Izaya, however just as he dashed towards Izaya's neck with an axe kick Izaya slightly shifted his body at the last second causing Boruto to miss. Hiroshi who was pressing his attack at the front was startled and quickly raised up his arms to block Boruto's axe kick.

Bam!

Izaya simply smiled as he stood off to the side and commented, "Hmmm...I thought you guys wanted to spar against me, not each other."

Boruto and Hiroshi gritted their teeth as they realized they were far outmatched in Taijutsu than they originally thought. Boruto quickly threw several kunai right at Izaya as Hiroshi ran around trying to get behind. Izaya simply took out one shuriken and tossed it with great speed at the wall of the barrier parallel with Boruto's kunais. The barrier deflected the shuriken sending it on a perpendicular path at all of the incoming kunai that Boruto had thrown knocking them into one another effectively canceling the attack. Boruto widened his eyes in shock.

_He actually used the barrier to his advantage? _

Izaya noted Boruto's shocked expression and lectured, "In a fight anything can happen and anything can become your weapon. A rock. A leaf. The dust. A kunai. A shuriken. Your enemy themselves. Even your enemy's ally can become your weapon. You're limited only by your imagination. And held back only by your belief. Once you think that something is impossible, then it will forever be out of your reach, but once you get rid of that thought then you'll never be chained down again." It was then that Izaya sensed an attack and dashed to the side before Hiroshi's wooden vines could entangle him from behind.

Boruto snapped out of his thoughts and infused lightning into a kunai in his hand. He then created two Shadow Clones as they all dashed towards Izaya. Hiroshi quickly formed a wooden wall behind Izaya as Boruto jumped in the air while his two Clones created a powerful wind in their palms and thrusted right at Boruto's feet greatly increasing his speed as Boruto shouted, "Boruto Stream!"

FWISH!

Izaya watched as Boruto shot through the air with a speed so fast that it would be difficult to dodge, at least for those who weren't experienced enough in fighting against fast opponents. Just before Boruto could reach Izaya he simply smirked amusedly and sidestepped at the last moment so Boruto couldn't shift his attack. He then quickly smacked Boruto's legs upwards causing Boruto's entire body to flip so that he was perpendicular to the ground. In doing so Izaya saved Boruto from smashing his head straight into the wooden wall that Hiroshi had made and instead caused Boruto to crash against it with his back saving him from a possible concussion. Boruto could only widen his eyes in shock and grit his teeth as he braced for the impact.

BAM!

"GAAAH!" Boruto let out as he had the wind knocked out of him. Hiroshi frowned and quickly utilized his wood style to wrap around Boruto getting him out of Izaya's range of attack and brought Boruto over to his side.

"Boruto, are you alright?" Hiroshi asked concernedly.

Boruto frowned as he struggled to get his breathing back under control but nodded in response. "I'm...fine...Keh...Uncle Izaya is crazy strong. How'd he dodge my attack like that?"

Izaya simply stood in the same spot and nodded his head approvingly. "Excellent work Hiroshi. You are treating this match like a real life or death match. Your judgement to immediately retrieve Boruto before I could perform a counter on his weakened state was the correct choice. And Boruto, I commend you for your innovative attack, but I advise you to be careful in using that Jutsu you call Boruto Stream. In a way it's very similar to the Chidori. While you infuse lightning into a kunai to increase your piercing and damaging power the speed at which you move is so fast that when you're up against more experienced fighters you can't react in time to their counter attack. Not unless you possess something like the Sharingan's eye of insight. Also your technique incurs more risk to the user than the Chidori does because you're airborne. While in the air you possess even less control over your body."

He then returned his attention to Hiroshi. "Hiroshi, you've gotten a pretty good handle on your Wood Style by now. I think it's time you start practicing your other Kekkei Genkais."

Boruto widened his eyes in shock at what he just heard and turned to Hiroshi with a look of disbelief. "Y-You have another Kekkei Genkai other than the Wood Style and Byakugan?"

Hiroshi awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Y-Yeah...but I'm not very good at using them yet."

Before they could continue their conversation further Izaya jumped down from the air with an axe kick prompting them to dash on opposite sides to dodge. Boruto quickly created four Shadow Clones and attacked Izaya who simply dodged a Clones punch and gripped its arm before throwing it straight into another Clone causing them both to disappear. He then caught a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it that was thrown by one of the two Clones left and quickly tossed it right at Hiroshi forcing him to stop in his tracks and dash to the side to dodge. Izaya then tossed out two shurikens at each of the two Boruto Clones on either side of him. The Clones quickly shifted their body's successfully evading the attack, however one Shuriken hit the wall of the barrier first before knocking into the second one causing it to fly back out and stab the Boruto Clones in the back causing them to disappear.

Boruto frowned as he was in the air above Izaya and struck down with a kunai in his hand, however Izaya quickly ducked his head causing Boruto's strike to miss. Izaya then gripped Boruto by the arm and pulled him down from up above right in front of Hiroshi causing Hiroshi to promptly halt his steps before he could get a hit in. Izaya smirked and kicked Boruto right into Hiroshi's frame flinging them both through the air and crashing into the wall of the barrier. Just as they reoriented themselves they widened their eyes in shock and dashed along the edges of the barrier dodging a barrage of shuriken from Izaya, however at this moment Izaya simply stood unmoving as he watched Boruto and Hiroshi continue to jump, dash, and dodge around the courtyard.

Himawari who was watching from outside the barrier tilted her head confused and asked, "How come big brother and Hiroshi are just running around?"

Shukaku who was being held in her hands at that moment quickly chimed in, "Heh. Those two brats got trapped in a Genjutsu."

Himawari widened her eyes in shock. "EHHH? But how?"

Shukaku simply shrugged. "I don't know. But that's why they're running around like headless chickens. Seriously. The 6th Hokage is just toying with them honestly. Why they would want to spar against a monster like him is beyond me." He grumbled inaudibly towards the end.

Iraia was also a bit confused and turned to the four adults as she asked, "When did papa manage to trap them in a Genjutsu?"

Hiashi stared intently at the battle and replied, "The moment he kicked Boruto into Hiroshi knocking them into the barrier your dad infused Yin chakra into that attack. That Yin chakra seeped into Boruto and Hiroshi's chakra pathway system disrupting their senses. It was an excellent move. He combined a Genjutsu attack into what seemed like a normal Taijutsu attack that Hiroshi and Boruto didn't even notice. Even with Hiroshi's Byakugan. Your dad's ability to finely control his own chakra let him quickly infuse the Yin nature at the last moment so Hiroshi didn't register the possibility that his body was being contaminated by it."

"But grandpa, that type of Genjutsu attack isn't really powerful though right?"

Hiashi smiled at Iraia's question and shook his head. "Power is but a vague concept. How do you distinguish something powerful from something not powerful? A shuriken is surely more dangerous than a pebble no? However a Shuriken thrown by an amateur is less deadly than a pebble thrown by a master. It all depends on the user and how they use it. The quicker you realize that the concept of power is not concrete then that is when you truly start to rise amongst the ranks of the strong."

Iraia nodded with great interest and took to heart Hiashi's words.

_Grandpa is very wise. He must be very strong to know so much. _

It was then that Hiroshi noticed something wrong.

_What's going on? I'm trying to use Jutsu, but every time I do it doesn't feel like my chakra is actually draining at the rate it's supposed to. Especially after all the Jutsu that I've been using to avoid dad's attack. Uh? I-It can't be...a Genjutsu?_

Hiroshi immediately stopped in his tracks and performed a Genjutsu release instantly returning to reality. He widened his eyes in shock at the realization that this whole time he truly was in a Genjutsu. He took note at how ridiculous Boruto looked running around thinking that he was still in battle and shook his head.

_Did I look that ridiculous as well? _

He then quickly dashed by Boruto's side and released him from the Genjutsu causing a confused look to appear Boruto's face.

"Eh? Hiroshi? Ah? What happened to all the destruction in the training yard? N-No way, Genjutsu?!"

They both turned to look at Izaya incredulously as Izaya simply smirked amusedly. "So you both finally came to huh? How was your dream?"

Hiroshi and Boruto frowned and grumbled, "Horrible."

Izaya just laughed. "So, what's your next plan of attack?"

Hiroshi gritted his teeth. "Boruto, it's time we amp things up."

Boruto nodded as he placed his hands together and shouted, "Water Style: Surging Sea Jutsu!" From his mouth he spewed out a powerful stream of raging waves as he quickly followed up with the Ram sign and shouted, "Lightning Style: Thunderclap Arrow!" He then shot out an electric arrow right into the raging water causing an electrical current to fuse with his Water Ninjutsu.

Izaya smirked and placed his palm on the ground shouting, "Earth Style: Earthquake Slam!" The ground shifted causing the earth in front of Izaya to lift higher into the air forming a slope forcing Boruto's electrical water Ninjutsu to halt its advance forwards and flow back down towards him and Hiroshi. They were both shocked as Hiroshi quickly placed his hands on the ground shouting, "Wood Style Jutsu!" He created a large wooden barrier to appear around him and Boruto as wood tendrils dug giant holes through the earthen slope allowing the electrical water current to drain out from their side and over towards Izaya once more.

Izaya nodded in acknowledgement of Boruto and Hiroshi's excellent teamwork and placed his hands on the ground. "Earth Style: Grand Hole Emergence." Instantly the ground right in front of where Hiroshi created his tunnels tore open into deep and giant holes forcing all of the electrical water current to drain down into them before Izaya closed them up. "A combination Ninjutsu attack of Water and Lightning. Not bad Boruto. And Hiroshi, being able to protect you and Boruto from my counter and then also creating your own counter to my response, excellent job and quick thinking."

Hiroshi and Boruto simply furrowed their brows completely at a loss as they struggled to get their breathing under control from the exhausted state they were in. Boruto simply commented, "I think I have enough chakra for one more attack."

Hiroshi nodded. "Same."

They both looked at each other in silent understanding as they dashed out on opposite sides. Boruto quickly created two Shadow Clones and formed a Rasengan in his hands while Hiroshi activated his now awakened Sharingan. Izaya took note of Hiroshi's Sharingan and was immediately shocked. In fact it wasn't only him, but everyone watching from outside the barrier was also shocked. Hiroshi attacked in tandem with Boruto's two Shadow Clones trying to give Boruto an opening to attack with his Rasengan, however even with his Sharingan helping him defend and attack better than before his skill in its usage was still at the amateur level. Izaya easily destroyed Boruto's two clones before throwing Hiroshi into the wall of the barrier. It was then that Hiroshi formed the Dog sign and clapped his hands shouting, "Wood Style: Golem Fist Jutsu!"

At the same time that his wooden fist shot straight for Izaya, Boruto also threw out his technique and shouted, "Rasengan!"

Izaya stood before the two incoming attacks as he stared at Hiroshi and Boruto feeling proud of how far they've come as shinobi. Just before the attacks could reach him Boruto's Rasengan disappeared, however Izaya simply dismissed it and said, "Eight Extreme Fists: 7th Fist of Splitting." A golden light coalesced around his right arm as he threw a simple and straightforward punch, however in this punch contained an incredible amount of power immediately breaking apart Hiroshi's wooden fist and dispelling the invisible Rasengan in the vicinity.

BANG!

A fierce wind blew through the area causing Hiroshi and Boruto's clothes and hair to flutter for a few seconds before everything calmed down again. It was then that Izaya dispelled the barrier along with his clones and walked up to Hiroshi and Boruto nodding his head in acknowledgement. "You've both come very far. I'm very proud of the progress you both have made. Don't let up on your training. I hope you both learnt something from this battle."

They both simply nodded as they stared at Izaya with a newfound respect. Boruto quietly walked back to Naruto and Hinata's side lost in his own thoughts.

_I saw dad and Sasuke-san fight against Momoshiki and they were incredibly strong. They were so strong that I never knew that kind of power even existed in the world. Uncle Izaya didn't even break a sweat during our fight and even handicapped himself. He didn't even need to use his Flying Thunder God Jutsu against us. Is uncle Izaya really as strong as dad and Sasuke-san? Then what about uncle Haku and uncle Kimimaro? The five of them are collectively known as the Five Eienkage right? Are all five of them on the same level? Tch...I never knew they were so strong…_

Before Hiroshi could walk off Izaya quickly knelt before him and stared Hiroshi in the eyes. After a moment of silence passed between them Izaya asked with a concerned voice, "Hiroshi...are you okay?"

Hiroshi was startled by the question so he asked confusedly, "What do you mean dad?"

Izaya pulled Hiroshi into a hug. "Your right eye. You've awakened your Sharingan."

At that moment Hanabi also arrived by Hiroshi's side and hugged him as well. "Hiroshi...I'm sorry I didn't know."

Hiroshi shook his head. "Mom it's not your fault. I know how the Sharingan is awakened. You both don't have to worry. T-The thing is...mom you recall the Urashiki incident right? Well...uncle Sasuke, Boruto, and I somehow ended up returning to the past and a lot of things happened. In short...I got to meet dad as a kid and when Urashiki attacked, dad stepped in to help. I-I saw Urashiki stab dad through the heart and thought the worst thing happened...I think that's when I awakened my Sharingan. Anyways it turns out that dad had outsmarted Urashiki and it was actually a Clone. A really really well made Clone." Hiroshi emphasized the really well made Clone part as he recalled how life-like the blood and body remained for a few seconds even after it was stabbed through. He then smiled and continued, "I'm fine though. Really. After all, dad is right here and perfectly fine right?"

Izaya let out a soft sigh and ruffled Hiroshi's hair. "You met me as a kid? Travelled back in time? Sounds like you had quite the adventure. I don't remember ever meeting you as a kid." He then turned to Naruto who nodded silently understanding that Izaya wanted an explanation of the details. After Izaya confirmed that Naruto would tell him in detail later he let Hiroshi go as the four kids dashed off with Hiashi. Hanabi and Hinata excused themselves leaving only Naruto and Izaya. By now the sun had completely disappeared as the moon rose into the night sky. They both entered one of the many rooms in the Hyuga compound and sat opposite each other as a pot of tea was placed between them.

"So, what did I miss while I was gone? What happened to the arena?"

Naruto let out a sigh as he recalled everything and told Izaya the whole story. Izaya nearly choked on his tea at some parts of the story Naruto was narrating, but he refrained himself from interrupting. As Naruto completed his narrative there was a moment of silence left between them. Izaya stared down at the tea in his cup contemplating everything before he slowly set it down.

"Naruto. First I would like to say that I'm glad you're alright and that the village is doing fine. But second, how could you do that to Boruto in front of the entire village? Your decision that time to disqualify Boruto as a ninja in front of the entire village was the wrong thing to do. Did he make a mistake? Yes. Would the results of the Chunin Exam need to be deliberated? Yes. But what you did was over excessive. If you wanted to disqualify him as a ninja why the need to shame him in front of the entire village? You may be the Hokage, but you are still a father. And on top of that, even discounting the fact that you are his father, as the Hokage how could you shame a ninja of your village like that? Boruto is still a kid. Do you know what kind of mental strain and traumatic damage you could have placed on his shoulders? To have the entire village shun him? Do you want him to live a life like you did in the past?"

Naruto clenched his fist as he slightly bowed his head in shame. "I-I…"

Izaya let out a sigh. "Naruto, you're lucky that Boruto's mentality is stronger than most and the events that led to his pardon helped mitigate any long lasting damage or feelings the villagers could harbor otherwise the end result could have turned out completely different. Boruto could have decided to resent you forever. The villagers could have shunned him forever. They could decide to continue mentally and verbally abuse him. While I would like to think that the people of Konoha would not resort to that, it is not in our power to know every little thing that could go on behind the scenes nor can we control them. Boruto could have decided to desert the village just in spite of you and to avoid the mental pressure and shun he possibly could have received from the village. I hope you realize your mistake. As the Hokage I hope you understand just how influential your actions are. Would you have done the same thing if it was a different Genin who cheated? For instance, what if it was Shikadai who cheated? Or Hiroshi? Would you have stepped in to disqualify them in front of the entire village or would you have handled it differently and told them that they would need to meet with you privately to discuss the repercussions of their actions?"

Naruto let out another sigh in defeat. "I was disappointed. I didn't know what to do so I just acted."

"As long as you understand then that's fine. Everything turned out okay in the end, however I hope you think more carefully about this in the future." Izaya then changed the subject. "Anyways, Urashiki was dealt with huh? Strange that neither you nor I remember anything about that time. I guess Sasuke did a pretty good job wiping our memories."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm just glad that the whole incident is over, but I'm still worried that there's more to this than we know. What do you think about the mark that appeared on Boruto's right hand?"

Izaya frowned as he seriously gave it some thought racking his brain for an answer before just letting out a soft sigh. "Honestly I don't know what to say. First Boruto claims to have awakened some sort of power within his eyes. This may be true, however I don't think I've heard anyone mention anything about it since that one incident a few years ago. Now he has obtained some sort of mark on his hand after defeating Momoshiki with your assistance and you said it was in the shape of a black diamond huh? Has it reacted to anything yet?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Hmmm...Well Boruto seemed fine when we fought earlier. It doesn't seem to be interfering with his combat capabilities or day to day life, for now at least. We can only continue to monitor his situation. Just the same as this eye power of his."

"I suppose you're right. What about Katasuke? Any thoughts?"

Izaya frowned at the entire ordeal and took another sip of his tea. "Katasuke...according to what you said he was being controlled via Genjutsu. It must have been quite a powerful one too. While he was under its influence he unknowingly and unwillingly leaked some information about the scientific ninja tools that Konoha was developing. The real question is who was the caster of this Genjutsu? I can only think of two plausible scenarios here. The caster had to be somewhere within the Fire Country. Given that Katasuke spent most of his time performing his research within the village the caster couldn't have been far. It's also possible for the caster to be a member of the village. If that is the case then we have a huge problem on our hands."

Naruto frowned at Izaya's analysis. "What you said makes sense, but I would hate to think that someone from Konoha would decide to betray the village like this. What is scenario number two?"

"The second scenario is that the Genjutsu placed on Katasuke is simply an incredibly powerful Jutsu with a similar ability to that of Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. With the Kotoamatsukami it can place someone under a powerful Genjutsu where it influences a person's thoughts, behaviors, and eventually actions without the target even knowing. The target will move in ways that the caster wants them to all the while the target believes it is their own free will. In this case the caster of the Genjutsu doesn't need to be near Konoha at all while Katasuke does their bidding."

Naruto frowned even more than scenario one. "This is bad. Both scenarios are equally troubling."

"Well, it's possible that there is another scenario to explain the situation, however I can't think of one, other than the two I explained. I'm hoping that scenario one is the more likely possibility. If it is the second one then it could become troublesome if the caster decides to start controlling other people who have power and authority in Konoha or even the world. It'll also be more difficult in resolving the situation if it is scenario two."

Naruto could only let out a sigh in defeat and sip his tea. "I suppose you have a point Izaya. Shikamaru and a team he put together are helping Katasuke return to a more healthy mental state and are making sure that no lasting damage has been done to him. Guess we can only leave it up to them for now. Anyways, what about you? How was your trip to the Tengu dimension?"

Izaya remained silent for a moment as he recalled his time in the Tengu dimension. He lifted the teapot at the center of the table and poured himself and Naruto another cup before he started, "The Tengu dimension huh? It's a long story…"


	12. Time with the Family

**AN: Hey everyone here is chapter 12! Currently working on the Five Great Games chapters coming in the near future. Hope you all are doing well and as always, thanks for your reading! **

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Chapter 12

Izaya took a deep breath as he stared outside at the night sky. The stars and the moon illuminated the dark and painted a serene picture of the Hyuga residence of which in a room by the courtyard of the compound sat Naruto and Izaya with a pot of tea between them in peaceful silence. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts Izaya began to narrate his journey throughout the Tengu dimension to Naruto as he recalled the events that took place.

**FLASH BACK**

Ting! Cling! Ting!

Bang! Boom! Bam!

Fwish! Crrrrsssh!

The sounds of a fierce battle raged on in a now barren wasteland which was once a rich grassland just several months ago. Two sides clashed in a fearsome war. One side Human and the other Tengu. Their swords drawn and bloody. The stench of iron and death reeked and lingered across the battlefield. Over the past several months the direction of the war was constantly shifting sometimes in the favor of the Human faction, other times in favor of the Tengu faction, however at this very moment the end of the war was close in sight. The Human faction had finally gained the advantage over the long and arduous war. The two giant Tailed Beasts shook the earth, no, the very core of the world in their destructive battle. Aseiyo, the leader of the Human faction fought alongside his Ten Tails against Zaiforan, the leader of the Tengu faction and his Ten Tails. Izaya simply continued to monitor the situation whilst in the center of the battlefield himself. They had currently been fighting for the past 7 hours non-stop, however it wasn't a problem for him. He had yet to meet anyone in the Tengu dimension that could fight on even grounds with him. Although there were a few in both the Human and Tengu factions that he would classify as S-rank combatants in shinobi standards he still wasn't all that impressed. On top of that he never fought the S-rank combatants because he continued to hide his true strength leaving him fighting as just an ordinary soldier in the war. He also didn't utilize Muramasa as the weapon would definitely draw eyes. He was still waiting for the opportune moment to make his move.

Just as he dodged several blade strikes he took note that Aseiyo had finally backed Zaiforan into a corner. Zaiforan left with no other choice formed a single hand seal and began to absorb the power of the Ten Tails into himself as Aseiyo did the same. Izaya frowned and knew that he had to make his move. If he waited any longer then the power boost that the Ten Tails would give to both of them would be enormous. It would be even greater than the power boost that Madara received as Madara didn't collect all of the chakra from the Tailed Beasts during the 4th Great Ninja War. He was missing at least half of the Nine Tails back then and a small portion of each of the other Tailed Beasts, but both of the Ten Tails in this world weren't split up into different Tailed Beasts and hence they retained the majority of their power.

Before Zaiforan could complete his transformation a giant wooden snake erupted from beneath him and sunk its fangs into his body slightly disrupting his flow of chakra. While it wasn't enough to prevent Zaiforan from continuing his transformation it was successful in slowing down the process. Before Zaiforan could perform any counter measures Izaya teleported to his wooden snake that was marked with his Flying Thunder God Seal. He then opened a scroll that he had designed years ago to help reduce the time it would take to perform the complicated Four Fiend Symbols Seal and the Four Divine Symbols Seal that Senko had taught him to defeat Muramasa. The moment the scroll was opened a giant seal appeared beneath Zaiforan. Izaya quickly performed the 16 hand signs required to activate the technique and shouted, "Four Fiend Symbols Seal!"

Zaiforan could only widen his eyes in shock as he felt the strength leave his body. A brilliant purple light erupted from the seal beneath him and began to flood his body imprinting the mark of the Four Fiend Symbols Seal on his abdomen. Not only did the seal suppress Zaiforan's chakra, but since the absorption of the Ten Tails was still incomplete the seal rejected its power and expelled it from his body preventing his transformation into the Ten Tails Jinchuriki. This play of events shocked not only Zaiforan, but Aseiyo as well. Zaiforan's Ten Tails screeched with anger as it was forced back into its Tailed Beast state, however Izaya didn't stop in his actions as he quickly entered Sage Mode and shouted, "Sage Art: Catastrophic Planetary Devastation!" In mere moments a powerful black gravitational sphere dragged in Zaiforan and his Ten Tails into the sky as well as the surrounding earth forming a giant moon-like object trapping them inside.

_Unfortunately this won't hold them forever. I'll have to fortify the seal to keep them trapped as long as possible. _

Izaya threw a scroll in the air causing it to stick right into the giant moon-like object trapping Zaiforan and his Ten Tails and once again activated the power of the Four Fiend Symbols Seal. It created a large seal over the giant moon-like object restraining the Ten Tails and Zaiforan within. With that he let out a sigh of relief as everything went more smoothly than he anticipated.

_I've placed a seal over Zaiforan so he can't utilize the power of his Rinnegan or mold his chakra to use his abilities. I've restrained them inside the Catastrophic Planetary Devastation and enhanced its binding even further with Senjutsu. And with another Four Fiend Symbols Seal over their cage it'll completely suppress the Ten Tails from being able to break free. At least for now. I'll have to drain its chakra at some point. But first...I have to deal with Aseiyo. _

Just as Izaya finished his thoughts he shifted his head to the side avoiding a deadly sword strike. Before Aseiyo could continue his attack he was forced to fly high above in the air to avoid the giant wooden dragon that erupted beneath him in an attempt to bind him in place. Aseiyo frowned and stared down at Izaya as he spoke in a loud and commanding tone.

"What is the meaning of this? The power you just used belongs to only those with the Rinnegan! How dare you steal my prize from me! You came to me asking to join the war effort and I allowed you! I gave you purpose! I am your leader! I am your creator! I am your master! I am your god! Tell me, for you to possess a similar power, what and who are you?!"

Izaya simply listened to Aseiyo's loud shouts of confusion as he took a moment to analyze Aseiyo's new form.

_So he completed the process of fusing with his Ten Tails. He possesses the Rinnegan in both eyes and thanks to becoming the Ten Tails Jinchuriki he has gained a third eye with the Rinne Sharingan. He has also obtained several black Truth Seeker Orbs. After observing him all this time I've come to understand a bit about the power of his Rinnegan. It allows him to create multiple spatial pockets within an area of 30 meters with him at the epicenter. Those spatial pockets don't link to another dimension, but rather they remain within the same dimension and it allows him to travel through those pocket portals as a form of teleportation. The portals are invisible except to those who possess the Rinnegan. He can also send his attacks through those portals and only he can enter those portals. The problem is that I'm not sure whether his Rinnegan has granted him another unique ability or not. Well, guess I can only test out his strength. With him absorbing the Ten Tails I'll have to rely on Senjutsu, Taijutsu, and Kenjutsu to deal damage to him as well as non-aura based attacks to prevent him from absorbing my Jutsus. If he's anything like Madara was then he probably has ridiculous regenerative abilities on top of his now massive chakra reserves. If I want any chance at beating him then I'll have to end this fast before he can get accustomed to his newfound power. _

Aseiyo continued to float in the air with fury, anger, frustration, and annoyance at the fact that Izaya hadn't answered him yet. Before he could speak again Izaya simply replied, "No need to be in such a rush. Angry because you're confused?" Izaya then removed his blindfold revealing his own Rinnegan. "Now that I've revealed to you my Rinnegan perhaps you can understand a little more, then again I reckon you've even more questions now than answers. Unfortunately I don't plan to enlighten you on the matter. You and Zaiforan have abused your power and continue to sacrifice the lives of so many simply to keep your Ten Tails fed. You both hunger for power and disregard the lives of your people. While I have not come here for them I don't mind doing them a favor and ridding them of the Ten Tails that continue to drain the very life of this planet and you along with it."

Aseiyo simply frowned. "Impudent human. Very well. If you will not tell me what I wish to know then I shall simply obtain it from you by force."

FWISH!

With incredible speed Aseiyo arrived before Izaya with a Truth Seeker Orb shaped into a sword and struck out with a series of ferocious attacks. Izaya narrowed his eyes in focus as he finally unsheathed Muramasa from its hilt and expertly defended every strike from Aseiyo.

Boom! Bang! Bam! Boom!

Every strike and clash made between the two swords caused the air to rumble and the ground to shake. Izaya continued to defend and parry every strike as he bided his time patiently waiting for an opening.

_It's been several minutes into our exchange of swordplay. He's quite skilled. If he won't leave himself open for an attack then I guess I'll just create one. _

Izaya focused his Yin nature into Muramasa before shouting, "Kenjutsu: Moonless!" As he swung his sword towards Aseiyo his one sword strike suddenly turned into eight coming from all separate directions and all at once instantly confusing and alarming Aseiyo.

_What kind of sword technique is this?! He's been hiding his true skill all these months? His skill with the blade is even greater than that of Zaiforan?! And what sort of blade is it that it can contend against my Truth Seeker Sword? I should have been able to kill him by now, but even with the Ten Tails how is it that he is pressuring me?!_

Aseiyo gritted his teeth and quickly activated the power of his Rinnegan slipping into a pocket dimension successfully escaping Izaya's attack. He quickly appeared behind Izaya in the distance and shot forth several of his Truth Seeker Orbs. Izaya simply gripped his blade and with a quick breath, shouted, "Kenjutsu: Ribbonless!" Just before the Orbs could hit him he sharply turned his body and infused his Wind nature into his blade slashing with incredible speed in multiple angles deflecting all the Orbs aimed at him causing them to fly off into the distance. Aseiyo didn't even have time to be impressed as Izaya simply went straight into his next attack thrusting out his blade in a stabbing motion and shouted, "Kenjutsu: Boundless!" Instantly his powerful Lightning nature mixed with the dense murderous aura leaking from him and Muramasa and condensed into a single point at the tip of his sword. The speed of Izaya's attack was so fast that not even light could beat it.

Aseiyo simply saw the world around him drain of color and turn into a landscape of nothing but the lifeless color of grey. Time seemed as if it was slowing down to a crawling stop. It was only thanks to his instincts and absorption of the Ten Tails that his muscles reacted fast enough to shift his body and successfully avoid being pierced through the heart from several tens of meters away, however although he avoided a critical strike he was unable to dodge the attack completely as his shoulder had a 10 centimeter hole in it. Even with his newfound powerful regeneration abilities his wound wouldn't close up all the way nor would it stop bleeding. Not only that but Izaya's attack was so powerful that the force of his sword thrust didn't stop until it reached 1km in the distance. Once again before Aseiyo could react Izaya simply said, "Universal Pull." Immediately Aseiyo's body was dragged through the air towards Izaya. Just as Izaya was about to slash out with his blade Aseiyo disappeared into one of his pocket portals and appeared high above in the air. He then grabbed his Truth Seeker Blade and shouted, "Kenjutsu: Splitting Void!"

Aseiyo's sword strike fueled by the strength of the Ten Tails was so powerful that it could even cut through a dimensional portal like Kamui, or even his own Rinnegan's ability to create portals, however Izaya responded by activating his Susanoo. Before Aseiyo's attack could reach him his Susanoo unsheathed Masamune and defended with the flat edge of the blade.

ZIIIINNNGG!

Even though Aseiyo's attack could cut through a dimensional portal it failed to break through Masamune's defensive block and was instead reflected right back at him. He widened his eyes in shock and utilized the second power of his Rinnegan to reflect the attack back at Izaya with twice the power it was originally. Izaya furrowed his brow in seriousness as he took note of Aseiyo's unexpected ability and utilized Masamune to reflect the attack into the distance. Before Aseiyo could follow up with another attack Izaya quickly activated the power of his Right eye and shouted, "Amaterasu!"

CRRRSSSHH!

The powerful black flames wreathed Aseiyo's body creating a giant veil momentarily distracting him from seeing Izaya's movements. Aseiyo was too busy attempting to absorb the black flames with the power of his Rinnegan to notice Izaya throw a special kunai by his side. Just as Aseiyo successfully absorbed the black flames Izaya flew to his kunai and activated the power of his right Rinnegan, Kannagara no Michi. Instantly Aseiyo was completely frozen in time for three seconds. And in those three seconds Izaya expertly performed the exact same ritual he did to Zaiforan. He placed a Four Fiend Symbols Seal over Aseiyo's body suppressing both the Ten Tails power and Aseiyo's own individual power. As Aseiyo had already become a Jinchuriki the Fiend Seal didn't expel the Ten Tails from his body as it did to Zaiforan.

Just as Izaya completed his technique time began to move again, but Aseiyo was greatly alarmed. He had no recollection of what had just transpired, he only knew that his power was drastically weakened. Due to having absorbed the Ten Tails the Fiend Seal couldn't completely suppress their combined might, however it was enough for Izaya to deem Aseiyo no longer a major threat. Aseiyo fell to the ground no longer able to fly as he stared at Izaya with rage, hatred, and confusion.

"WHAT. HAVE. YOU. DONE!"

Izaya simply ignored him as a giant wooden snake and wooden dragon bound Aseiyo in a tight hold preventing him from molding whatever chakra he had access to while also draining him of the last bit of strength he had. And just for extra measure Izaya pierced Aseiyo's body with multiple black receiver rods of his to truly ensure that Aseiyo wouldn't be able to mold chakra. It wasn't long before another gigantic moon-like object was floating in the sky with a Four Fiend Symbols Seal placed on it locking Aseiyo inside.

**END FLASHBACK**

Naruto stared at Izaya with a mix of emotions as he took in all the information of Izaya's narrative from his time in the Tengu dimension. "So...what happened after you sealed them both away?"

Izaya took a sip of his tea before responding. "I used the Four Divine Symbols Seal to extract all the chakra from the two faction leaders as well as from the two Ten Tails. This technique not only seals powerful chakra, but it can be used to extract powerful chakra as well. Without any chakra left they're only shells of what they were before. Most likely they'll end up dying within their prisons. The chakra I extracted from them condensed into two large chakra fruits. I sealed them away inside some containers and locked them within my most protective safe house."

Naruto let out a sigh. "Haaaa...sounds like you had it rough. What happened to the Tengu and Human factions of that planet?"

"Without their tyrannical leaders and with no more Divine Trees requiring the sacrifice of their people the inhabitants of that planet are better off. At the end of the war both factions were left with approximately an equal level of military power. They formed a truce and peace treaty and agreed that they should strive to live in harmony with one another. Most of their actions in society had been fueled by the twisted greed and abuse of power from Aseiyo and Zaiforan. With them out of the picture the remaining leaders of both factions are much more tolerant and are able to come to agreeable terms."

"I see...why the need to drain all the chakra from the two Ten Tails?"

"The first reason is because with all of their power they would eventually be able to break free of the seal and prison I placed them in. Even Hagoromo's Planetary Devastation Jutsu wouldn't hold the Ten Tails completely hence he drained it of its chakra before tossing it into a moon and eventually split its chakra into the Nine Tailed Beasts. The second reason is because I'm sure that the Otsutsuki clan would eventually take notice, if they haven't already, of the two sealed Ten Tails and simply steal their chakra for themselves. Who knows what sort of trouble they'll use it for. And the third reason is because with the chakra fruit it may eventually be possible to use their power to open a portal that leads to the Heavenly Plane. I'm not in a rush to reach that place or anything, however I think it'd be good for us to have a plan in the works behind the shadows in case things get out of hand with the Otsutsuki clan."

Naruto thought about what Izaya said for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah. I suppose you're right. You're pretty cautious and meticulous about all of this. I haven't thought as far ahead about this yet as you have...Izaya...it may sound rude of me, but is there a reason you didn't consume the chakra fruit? I mean I'm actually glad you didn't because that'd just be like what Momoshiki and the other Otsutsuki's would do, but still I'm slightly curious. You weren't tempted?"

Izaya shook his head. "You recall Senko right? I told you and Sasuke about him after our spar last time. According to Senko in order to open a portal to the Heavenly Plane the chakra fruit needs to be kept in their pure physical form as it'll be completely consumed upon use for this action. Also, according to Senko the amount of power and chakra that's contained in the fruit is so overwhelming that it can't be contained in a human body. I suppose you can think of it as the human acting as a balloon and the fruit being air. You can fill the balloon with air, however the balloon can only take so much. If you fill the balloon with too much air then eventually it will burst. And that bursting means death. In essence the chakra fruit contains so much chakra that eventually it will cause the body to burst for being unable to contain it. Even if one absorbs the Ten Tails and becomes its Jinchuriki this phenomenon will still happen. It'll be delayed thanks to the powerful life force that the Ten Tails has, but in the end you can think of it as a slow acting poison. The human body just won't be able to take it and they'll die. The reason Aseiyo and Zaiforan didn't die after they ate the first chakra fruit of their world is because the chakra fruit they consumed only contained a fraction of the true power of the Ten Tails. The Ten Tails still kept a majority of the energy for itself. The chakra fruits I condensed, however, is the complete totality of the Ten Tails chakra as well as Aseiyo's and Zaiforan's. In essence the chakra fruits I condensed from them are simply too potent. It's not worth the trouble gaining that much massive power only for it to be a poison. Also, eating the fruit somehow influences the mind. I'm not clear on how yet but even a single bite could cause a change in the nature of one's personality. I believe Hagoromo once told you and Sasuke something similar when he narrated his story about Kaguya. Anyways, Senko tells me that the power contained in the chakra fruit is one of the reasons that the Otsutsuki clan continue to search for them. The Otsutsuki's have long lifespans compared to us, but compared to many other beings in the Heavenly Plane it isn't that great. Also, because they raided the powers of the Royal clan their lives were shortened. These fruits would be more poisonous to us, but to the Otsutsuki clan it can prolong their lives."

Naruto furrowed his brow in serious thought but simply let out a long drawn out sigh and drank some more tea. "Things are more complicated than they seem. Hey, Izaya, according to your story Aseiyo and Zaiforan killed their own sons. How did chakra spread in that world then? For us in our world it was Hagoromo and Hamura's descendants who spread chakra, but what about the Tengu dimension?"

"Great question Naruto. I wondered about this myself, however even though Aseiyo and Zaiforan killed their own sons and didn't have any descendants they still shared chakra with others. Just the same as how Hagoromo shared his chakra with others here on our planet. Not everyone on this planet is a descendant of Hagoromo's or Hamura's. Hagoromo shared his chakra with many others close to him in hopes that they would be able to understand each other through Ninshu. Asura also shared his chakra with others during his journey throughout the world. Those people who gained chakra had descendants and so chakra continued to proliferate. The same thing happened in the Tengu dimension. Aseiyo and Zaiforan shared a piece of their chakra to others in order to command subordinates for their own use. Those subordinates overtime had descendants and so on so forth. You get the idea. The only reason Aseiyo and Zaiforan survived so long was because the Ten Tails continued to share it's powerful life force with them. A small version of the chakra fruit wouldn't kill them and provided with the powerful life force of the Ten Tails, granted them near immortality."

"Ehhh...so that's how it is. It's certainly different from how Kaguya attempted to steal all chakra back for herself."

Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows how the chakra fruit influences the mind. It probably has a different effect on different individuals. And don't forget, Kaguya shared her chakra with her sons at first. It was only after they rebelled against her that she decided to take all chakra back for herself. I can't say that Aseiyo and Zaiforan thought the same. It may be that they wanted to increase their chances of stealing each other's Ten Tails so they saw a need to share their chakra with their kind in order to build an army."

Naruto nodded in agreement with Izaya's reasoning. "So, on a different note, compared to this Aseiyo guy, how do you think I compare?"

Izaya pondered for a moment before replying, "To be honest I'm quite certain you would have defeated him. He was powerful, but he wasn't yet used to controlling the power of the Ten Tails so if you fought him in that moment you'd stand a fairly good chance. Also, he has been ruling as a tyrant who abuses his powers for years and never truly had anyone to test his skills against except Zaiforan, but even then they rarely fought face to face until the war began, therefore he grew complacent with his powers and didn't know how to properly utilize them in battle to make full use of their capabilities."

As Naruto and Izaya continued their conversation Hanabi and Hinata were in the kitchen and had just finished cleaning up the mess from when everyone had dinner earlier. Hanabi glanced at Hinata and noticed her sister let out a soft sigh while staring out the window at the night sky lost in her own thoughts. Hanabi smiled mischievously and quietly snuck up behind Hinata tickling her sides. This elicited a laugh from Hinata and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hanabi! What was that for?"

Hanabi just snickered. "You had this look in your eyes like you were struggling with something."

"Eh? W-Was I?"

Hanabi simply nodded. "So, tell me sister, what's on your mind?"

At Hanabi's question a thought did cross Hinata's mind...but her cheeks instantly turned red so she quickly faced away from Hanabi. Hanabi, however didn't miss the fact that her sister's cheeks became flushed and embarrassed. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "Your cheeks are red. Is it something embarrassing that you can't talk about?"

Hinata tried to change the subject as she commented, "O-Oh, will you look at that. The moon and the stars are so pretty tonight. I think father had a great birthday today, don't you agree?"

Hanabi simply smirked mischievously at Hinata's terrible attempt to change the subject. "Let me guess. Is it about Naruto?"

Hinata slightly flinched as her entire being turned red in embarrassment. Hanabi just smiled triumphantly as she knew she guessed correctly.

"Alright sis I guessed right. No need to be shy or anything, besides it's only you and me here right now. So, what's going on?"

Hinata let out a sigh in defeat. "N-Nothing is going on...really...it's just…"

"It's just what? Go on."

Hinata twiddled her fingers and fidgeted in place as she continued speaking with a soft whisper, "It's just that we haven't...I mean...you know...that...in awhile..." She then quickly followed up with a louder and hasty voice, "Of course I mean I know Naruto is busy and everything. After all, he's the Hokage. It's not like he neglects me. He's been getting better at coming home more often, b-but...but...AH! I can't say it. It's too embarrassing."

Hanabi just stared at her sister dumbfoudedly as she took in everything Hinata said and finally pieced everything together.

"Then...Hinata, correct me if I'm wrong but...what you're trying to say is that you and Naruto haven't had se-"

Before Hanabi could finish her sentence Hinata quickly shouted and interjected, "YES! Okay! You don't have to say it. I-I feel ashamed if you put it so bluntly."

Hanabi smiled at how innocent and cute her sister was being but let out a sigh. "Hinata, remember it's just you and me. You can be honest with me. I'm your sister after all. AND, don't forget, my husband is the 6th Hokage so I suppose I'm the closest person who has gone through something similar to you. if you can't talk to me about this then who can you talk to?"

Hinata just nodded her head in silence. "So...then how do you handle something like this Hanabi? I mean...I...I love Naruto with all my heart, but I still have...urges you know…"

"Then...when was the last time you and Naruto had se-"

Once again before Hanabi could finish her sentence Hinata quickly interjected, "A year! I think...It's been about that long…"

Hanabi widened her eyes in shock. "A year?! What does Naruto think you are? A machine? Don't tell me he's lost all his drive?"

Hinata twirled her thumbs awkwardly and continued, "When Naruto comes home he's always very tired so I don't want to disturb him or anything. And like you said, Izaya is the 6th Hokage so you probably experienced something similar before right? I mean, when was the last time you and Izaya had done it?"

It was now Hanabi's turn to have her face flush completely red as she was faced with Hinata's question. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she recalled the memory...the feel...the...Hanabi quickly snapped out of her thoughts and coughed aloud before responding. "Ahem...the last time for Izaya and I was...t-this morning…"

Hinata widened her eyes in shock, surprise, and embarrassment as her face turned completely tomato red at hearing Hanabi's answer.

"T-Then...so...I guess...then this isn't an issue for you two?"

Hanabi stared out at the night sky and smiled as the image of Izaya appeared in her mind. "Sorry Hinata."

Hinata simply let out a sigh and stared at the night sky like Hanabi. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about Hanabi. In fact I'm glad that this isn't an issue for you and Izaya. I wouldn't want my little sister to feel...ahem...frustrated."

Hanabi gently held Hinata's hands in hers encouragingly. "Hinata, you should just tell Naruto how you feel. Have an honest talk with him about it. I bet you he's just been dying to ravish you, but he probably just doesn't know if you're up for it. You're both married and love each other so you should both try to be more honest with how you both feel instead of trying to play a guessing game."

Hinata bit her lip and contemplated what Hanabi said. "Then...what about you and Izaya? How do you bring up the topic when you...I mean...you know...need him?"

Hanabi's face flushed red. "To be honest I don't have to...Ahem...I-Izaya is pretty attentive about my wants and needs...and sometimes more…"

Hinata raised her eyebrow at Hanabi's last comment. "What do you mean by more?"

Hanabi felt her body heat up in embarrassment as she recalled what she and Izaya had done in this very kitchen. In fact it didn't just end in the kitchen. She couldn't think of a single room in the house that had been spared from her and Izaya's actions that day except for Hiroshi and Iraia's bedrooms.

"Hanabi?" Hinata questioned in curiosity.

"Ahem! Let's just say that I'm always more than...satisfied. Anyways, Hinata you should definitely talk to Naruto about this. And not just that but dress...well...less."

Hinata blushed at Hanabi's suggestion. "That's embarrassing though…"

"Hmpf. Embarrassing or not I refuse to believe that Naruto would be able to resist you. If you're worried about the kids then you can always send them over here. Father is always happy to spend more time with them. Besides Hiroshi and Iraia are here too so I doubt Boruto and Himawari would mind. Anyways, think about what I said sis. You need to be a bit more bold. Honestly I can't believe Naruto's neglected you like that for so long."

"Don't be so hard on him Hanabi. He has a lot on his plate right now. After all there is the whole issue with the Otsutsuki clan and-"

Hanabi interjected as she simply let out a sigh. "Haaaa...alright alright I get it. You'll defend Naruto's point of view to the very end, but just so you know that's exactly the point I was trying to get across. He may have a lot of worries right now but your worries should be included in that list. And in order for him to know that you even have any you should talk to him. Jeez...don't be like me too."

Hinata raised her eyebrow curiously at Hanabi's last comment and inquired, "What do you mean by that?"

Hanabi softly smiled at the memory of last night when Izaya returned home and woke her from her nightmare. "Well, it's not as if I don't have my own worries and frustrations. Izaya is often gone exploring different worlds and dimensions. Who knows what kinds of dangers he'll meet. My greatest fear is that one day he'll never return. That he might get injured so badly he'll never come back to me. And if it's in another dimension then I can't even help him. I can't even reach him. Worse I'll never even know. My fear and worries and anxieties had gotten pretty bad to the point where I have horrible nightmares. They keep me up at night and oftentimes on those days I don't go back to sleep. That's why the kids always think I'm up early in the day, but the truth is I was up the entire night. Once the kids leave after breakfast I take short naps throughout the day to try and get rid of my drowsiness. I don't want the kids to worry about me. They already worry enough if Izaya will return home or not. But napping throughout the day also causes me to run a little behind on my work as the Head of the clan. Honestly it's been getting stressful, but then Izaya finally returned last night. And...as always he knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. After we talked I told him about how I felt and all my anxieties and worries and stress disappeared. This is why I'm telling you Hinata, talk to Naruto and tell him about your worries and frustrations. No matter what they are. Even if you're worried that it'll cause Naruto to worry, if you don't tell him then it'll get to a point where the outcome is even worse than what it might've been."

Hinata simply listened to Hanabi talk and held her sister's hand as they both had their little heart to heart. It was then that the kitchen door opened revealing Hiashi and Himawari. He carried Himawari in his arms and walked over to his two daughters smiling happily. Hanabi smiled at the sight and asked, "Father, where are the other kids?"

Hiashi lightly chuckled. "Don't worry about them. They're off somewhere doing their own things. It's been awhile since they simply got to play around without any worries."

Himawari yawned and rubbed her eyes as she held Shukaku's pot in her arms. Hinata smiled at Himawari's drowsiness and stood up saying, "Looks like someone needs to head off to bed."

Himawari struggled to keep her eyes open but in the end she fell asleep in Hiashi's arms. Hiashi simply smiled. "I'll go put her to bed."

Hinata nodded in appreciation. "I'll go with you." She then turned to Hanabi with an apologetic look, but Hanabi simply smiled. "Go go. Himawari needs you and it's been awhile since you and father spent some time together. I'll go check up on how Naruto and Izaya are doing."

She watched as Hiashi, Hinata, and Himawari disappeared from the kitchen before she stood up and grabbed a new pot of hot tea with some snacks on a tray making her way to where the two Kage's were. After a good minute of walking through the compound she found the two sitting in a neat room by the courtyard garden with the screen door open to let the moon shine through as their source of light. She couldn't help but feel happy at the sight. She was especially entranced by the way the moonlight glowed off of Izaya's body making him seem like a desirable majestic celestial being. She swallowed down her desire and shook her head.

_Tch. Why does Izaya have to look so desirable all the time? Wait...am I the only one who sees him like this or do other women see him just as desirable? If that's the case how many eyes is he drawing towards him everyday? Hmpf. He probably doesn't even notice huh? Or maybe he does and likes it... _

Hanabi was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Izaya's voice by her side. "Hanabi? Are you alright?"

She was completely startled and embarrassed at the fact that she was caught staring and had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Izaya had walked over to her. In her flustered state she quickly turned to respond but no words came out and instead she accidentally tipped the tray she was carrying causing the snacks and hot tea to fall towards the ground, however before things could become too chaotic time froze in that moment as Izaya had activated the power of his Rinnegan. He quickly grabbed the tray from Hanabi's hands and neatly placed the falling teapot and snacks back on it before time began moving again. Hanabi was still completely flustered and didn't even realize that Izaya now held the tray as she was trying to formulate a thought, however Izaya just smirked and kissed her on the lips prompting her to calm down and relax.

"I didn't mean to startle you like that."

He held Hanabi's hand in his and escorted her to where he and Naruto were relaxing. After he put the tray down on the table they both took a seat across from Naruto who smiled at them, but he felt a bit jealous at their affectionate display. Izaya took note of Naruto's awkwardness and smirked. "Naruto, why don't you go check up on Hinata? Better make sure she isn't overworking herself."

Naruto quickly nodded in agreement with the suggestion and excused himself.

"You got Naruto to leave on purpose didn't you?"

Izaya just smiled mischievously at Hanabi's question and grabbed a blanket from the room. He grabbed Hanabi's hand and dragged her over to the edge of the screen door. He sat down and leaned his back against the giant door frame as he pulled her down so she was seated between his legs. She leaned her back comfortably against his chest as Izaya draped the blanket over them whilst they sat in peaceful silence watching the night sky. Hanabi took in a deep breath in and out as she felt the strong heartbeat and protective warmth of Izaya's embrace and without realizing it, she fell into a deep and comfortable sleep. Izaya kept his arms wrapped around Hanabi as he held her hands and massaged comforting circles on the back of her smooth silky palm. Just as he was about to doze off himself he was interrupted by Boruto's presence.

Boruto awkwardly scratched the side of his cheeks as he watched his uncle Izaya and aunt Hanabi in their current position.

_Aunt Hanabi looks like she's asleep. I can't tell if uncle Izaya is asleep or not with that blindfold of his. And here I was wanting to ask him some things but I probably shouldn't disturb them. Ah...How embarrassing, they don't mind looking all lovey dovey like that in the open? Well...I guess it's not such a bad thing. Dad could learn a thing or two from uncle Izaya. I bet mom would be happy if dad was a bit more bold. _

Just as Boruto was about to turn around and leave he heard Izaya's voice. "Leaving already? You look like you had something to say."

Boruto stopped in his tracks and awkwardly turned back to face Izaya. "Haha...so you were awake...I had no idea. Ahem. Well, it can wait. You look like you're busy and I don't want to wake up Hanabi."

Izaya just smiled amusedly and curiously at Boruto's reaction so he pointed with his chin for Boruto to take a seat near him. "It's alright. It's still only 10:30pm at night. I have time to talk. As for Hanabi, you don't have to worry about waking her up or not."

Boruto just shrugged his shoulders and took Izaya up on his offer as he quickly took a seat nearby. After a moment of silence passed between them Boruto clenched his right hand and asked, "Uncle Izaya...you said that if I ever had some questions about anything at all whether it was Ninjutsu related or not I could ask you."

Izaya nodded his head as he recalled their conversation. "I did. Anything at all. What's troubling you?"

Boruto stared at the moon trying to formulate his thoughts. "I was just wondering...do you know anything about the Otsutsuki clan? Like why did they attack us? And...and do you think it's possible for their spirit to linger around after they're dead?"

"Do your concerns have anything to do with the mark on your right palm?"

Boruto widened his eyes in shock and shouted, "WHAT?!" He then quickly covered his mouth realizing his mistake as he took a peek to see if Hanabi woke up from his yelling. After confirming that Hanabi remained asleep he took a deep breath and continued, "Uncle Izaya, how did you know about that?"

Izaya just stared amusedly at Boruto's reaction. "I had a talk with your dad and got a summary of everything that's been happening."

Boruto widened his eyes again in shock. "Wait...dad already knows about this mark too? Oh...right Sasuke-san probably told him. He was the only one I mentioned it to."

"Would you mind showing it to me Boruto?"

Boruto simply shrugged his shoulders and raised his right palm up for Izaya to see. Izaya took a moment to take in the mark imprinted on Boruto's palm.

_Interesting. What is it? Some sort of seal maybe? It's in the shape of a black diamond. According to Naruto it hasn't reacted to anything at all yet. It just seems like a tattoo mark for now, however he supposedly obtained this after defeating Momoshiki. I can't be too certain on what it is or what it's function is supposed to be until it reacts to something. Unfortunately we can only continue to monitor the situation. Any thoughts Senko? _

Senko simply thought back within Izaya's mental psyche.

_Unfortunately I can't tell you much. Both the Royal clan and the Otsutsuki clan had many secret abilities that they kept heavily guarded. One such ability is the matter of their Byakugan. It is rumored that in extremely rare individuals amongst the Otsutsuki clan they have the potential to awaken a unique ocular power even greater than the Byakugan. It is rumored that Kaguwen, the child born of both clans not only awakened the Rinne Sharingan, but also one of the unique and rare ocular powers of the Otsutsuki clan. That clan has kept all information about it well guarded. I am only aware of the Tenseigan that can be awakened from the Byakugan, but I'm certain this was not the ocular power awakened by Kaguwen. There is most definitely another. As for this mark on Boruto's palm I can't be too certain either. All I can tell you is that there were those in the Heavenly Plane who bore that mark. Before I fled the amount of beings who bore that mark were few in number. After I left the amount of those who bear the mark could have increased. I do know that you should be wary of it. There are some who bore the mark in the Heavenly Plane and their personalities began to change. Then there were also those who seemed to have been able to utilize great power with it and still retain their sanity. This mark is a bit of a mystery and the Otsutsuki clan has ensured the protection of its secret from those of the Heavenly Plane. But even with having said all that there is still one common link that connects all those who bore that mark. It's the fact that they had defeated a high ranking member within the Otsutsuki clan. _

Boruto snapped Izaya out of his thoughts as he questioned, "So? Anything comes to mind?"

Izaya just let out a defeated sigh. "Unfortunately not."

Boruto frowned. "Guess this thing really is a mystery."

"Boruto. Can you tell me exactly how you got that mark? I was told that you were the one to defeat Momoshiki, but is that really all? The mark on your palm seems to me like some sort of seal. To place a seal on someone some sort of trigger, ritual, or interaction needs to happen. Even if defeating Momoshiki was the trigger there had to have been some sort of reaction that occurred either after his defeat or during his defeat. Can you remember anything at all? No matter how small the detail."

Boruto took a deep breath before he responded. "Well...I mean there was something...but I swear I'm not going crazy or anything. Even Sasuke-san said that he witnessed it. After I defeated Momoshiki it was like time froze all around us. And somehow Momoshiki was able to appear before me and talk to me. He held my arm and said something about no longer being ordinary after defeating a god. Then that was it. Time began to move again."

Izaya frowned at this new development. "Huh...interesting."

"Oi oi...uncle, how can you say it's interesting like I'm some sort of lab rat or something."

"Hahaha, sorry Boruto. I didn't mean interesting in the way that I'm curious how it will affect you, I meant interesting in the way that Momoshiki was able to speak to you after his defeat in a spiritual form and only Sasuke was able to bear witness to it. Most likely due to his Rinnegan, but even then it seems he was powerless to make a move and intervene. It's possible that Momshiki placed that brand on your palm after his death and it may be some sort of seal. I just don't know why though or what its purpose is for."

"Then...you think it's possible that his spirit could talk to me after he died?"

"Of course."

"Ehhhh? How's that even possible?"

"It's possible Boruto. There are many strange things and powers in this world that we don't understand, but just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In fact just because we don't know whether or not something exists doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To put it simply for instance, Sasuke probably doesn't know that Hanabi and I are sitting here like this right now. Does that mean our actions don't exist in the world? Obviously not, it just means Sasuke is unaware of it. Anyways I'm getting off topic. The point is while there are many mysteries surrounding the world, as for the one pertaining to the Otsutsuki clan I do in fact know that it is possible for a member of the Otsutsuki clan who wields incredibly powerful chakra to linger even after death. It was so with the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, and his brother Otsutsuki Hamura. If they could accomplish this feat then it isn't a surprise that Momshiki was able to do the same. The difference is that we are unsure of what Momshiki's agenda was for meeting with and placing that brand on you. For now just keep an eye out and monitor your own health and condition. If anything strange happens, anything at all no matter how large or little, let us know."

Boruto could only nod his head. "Alright, I will. Thanks for the chat uncle."

Just as Boruto left, Izaya was about to doze off when he took note of another presence nearby. "Iraia. It's alright. You won't bother us if you stay."

Iraia flinched as she realized that Izaya had noticed her presence the entire time and stepped out from the shadows taking a seat next to him and Hanabi. "Papa. Is mom okay?"

"Is there a reason why mom wouldn't be okay?"

Iraia had an unsure look on her face as she replied, "I don't really know. The past couple of months it just seemed like mom was getting really tired more often."

Izaya looked down at Hanabi's peacefully sleeping form and felt his heart ache a bit inside as he recalled their conversation the night before. "Don't worry Iraia. I'm planning to stick around for a long while. I'll make sure to do everything I can to help mom out. She'll be fine okay?"

Iraia simply nodded and inwardly rejoiced.

_Papa's going to stick around for awhile? Please tell me that's the case! _

Izaya smiled as he took note of the corner of Iraia's lips curling up into a smile. He patted the seat next to him prompting Iraia to scoot closer letting him drape his arm around her and let her rest her head against the side of his chest. Iraia closed her eyes in comfort as she listened to the sound of Hanabi's steady breathing and felt the protective warmth of Izaya's hug.

"Papa. Can I ask you a question?"

"Mn. What is it?"

"It's about Zen."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"Can you tell me how you both met? How is it that Zen has the Sharingan? What happened to his parents? Why did you decide to take him as your disciple?"

Izaya thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. Zen huh? I guess if you really want to know then I'll have to start at the very beginning. Iraia, as you know our world is divided into two continents. Ours is the Six Paths continent and the one Zen is from is the Sage continent. On the Sage continent the people there don't have a comprehensive system for utilizing Jutsu like we do on this side. I thought I was the first person from our side of the world to visit the Sage continent, however I was wrong. I discovered at a black merchant shop a scroll that was sealed utilizing the system of our techniques. The technique was too advanced and foreign for those of the Sage continent to know how to perform. That's when I realized that I was not the first person from the Six Paths continent to make it over there. After searching around I discovered that the scroll originally belonged to a person named Itachi. I immediately thought that this person named Itachi was connected to the Uchiha clan. It was too coincidental. The scroll using our system of Ninjutsu, the name Itachi being a name that I am familiar with. Even though I thought this I couldn't be too certain so I continued searching for answers."

"After a year of searching I stumbled upon an incident. Some assassins were in the middle of chasing several women and their guards. Some of the women were even carrying a baby with them. I overheard them mention the name Itachi so I intervened, but the assassins refused to say anything more. One of the female guards seemed to know who this Itachi was and requested my assistance in return for agreeing to tell me about this Itachi person. I agreed. Before I had the chance to get rid of the assassins in the vicinity several tens more of them arrived. In order to reduce the amount of unknown variables in the fight I had the guards and the women leave so I could fight without reserve. The guard gave me a sealed map so I could find them later. To my surprise the seal on the map was similar to the seal on the scroll I had discovered at the black merchant shop. After defeating the assassins I unsealed the map and left to search for that guard, however all I found was nothing but ruins. The remnants of a battle was all that was left. Even though I defeated the assassins they must have had some sort of backup plan as well. All these years I've been continuing my search in hopes of finding them every time I go to the Sage continent. So far I still haven't found a trace of them.'

"It wasn't until a few years ago that I learnt that this person named Itachi had actually passed away. Apparently he passed away the year I fought all those assassins. It could be that those assassins were sent to kill this person Itachi. Anyways I just couldn't shake off the feeling that this person Itachi was connected to the Uchiha clan and our continent. One day as I roamed the Sage continent continuing my search I stumbled upon Zen as a young boy. He was 10 years old at the time. When I found him he was half dead and unconscious. He had wounds all over his body and had multiple broken bones. He had lost a lot of blood and was greatly dehydrated. It's a miracle he had survived for as long as he did. I quickly did my best to treat his injuries. At that time I wasn't too sure what had happened to him. He was unconscious for several days and contracted a terrible fever. I honestly wasn't sure if he was going to make it, but during his unconscious state he sure mumbled a lot of things. I couldn't make out many of the things he was mumbling but from the words I could make out I knew he had a harsh upbringing. Eventually he overcame his fever and got better. When he finally woke he attacked me in a fit of rage and fury. It seemed like his mind was still plagued by death and he thought that he was still in the midst of whatever death match he was in previously. I let him vent out all his anger, his frustrations, his sadness, pain, everything until he lost the strength to fight. After that he finally returned to reality."

"Surprisingly he immediately apologized and begged me to forgive him for his actions. I hadn't even explained to him what the situation was yet. I was a bit perplexed because he obeyed every word and command I gave him. I remained by his side for a few days to ensure that he had recovered enough where he wouldn't need my aid anymore. Over those few days I learnt a bit about his past. He was haunted by nightmares of his mother's death which he personally witnessed when he was four. He was left orphaned on the streets starving and vulnerable, yet he continued to survive. I also confirmed a gnawing suspicion of mine. When I treated him his chakra system was strange. It felt like a mix of Ninjutsu and Senjutsu chakra. I wasn't sure of it at first but after spending those extra few days with him I became convinced that Zen was a unique existence on the Sage continent. The fact that both his Ninjutsu chakra and Senjutsu chakra could coexist inside his body without one overpowering the other is a testament to the fact that he had this condition since he was very young. I surmised that he was born with this condition and overtime his body adapted properly. I decided that I would teach Zen a little bit of Ninjutsu so he could better defend himself. After a month of teaching him I was preparing to leave. I suppose Zen had grown a bit attached. I was the first person to ever show Zen any sort of kindness after the death of his mother. He cried as I was leaving but accepted the fact that I couldn't remain by his side forever, however that was also when I took note of Zen's Sharingan. He hadn't told me he possessed such a power in the time I spent with him so I was quite shocked when I saw it. Instantly I knew that he must be connected to this person Itachi that I was searching for. Not only did he possess Ninjutsu chakra but also the Uchiha's Sharingan. In the end I decided that I couldn't leave him alone so I decided to make him my disciple. I spent a little more than a year teaching him as much as I could. Not just combative Ninjutsu, but about the world as well. I taught him about the Six Paths continent and what shinobi were. I taught him how to read and write. And perhaps most importantly I was able to help him overcome his anguish. I am most impressed with Zen's ability to learn and his sheer willpower. He rarely slept because he wanted to learn everything as much as possible and as fast as possible. He had a lot of catching up to do because he had to start at the very basics, reading and writing. In the time span of but a mere one year he had achieved an incredible proficiency level. He would train during the day and study at night. Over and over and over again. He was a very sensitive person. Contemplating deep and controversial philosophical views. He was thinking on a level that far surpassed what any child should have to think about and it was most likely due to the influence of his upbringing. Anyways that's how Zen and I met and how he became my disciple."

Iraia gripped Izaya's shirt a little as a tear unknowingly fell from her eyes after listening to the story. She took a moment to calm down her feelings and asked, "Papa. Then did you ever find out who this person named Itachi was?"

Izaya shook his head. "No. Unfortunately I still don't know. I'm still searching for answers to this day. I'm almost certain that this person named Itachi is related to Zen. I just can't say with certainty how yet. I can only speculate until I obtain concrete proof. Zen also doesn't know as his mother never told him much about his father. His father died when he was a baby so they never met."

"Papa, wasn't there someone in the Uchiha clan named Itachi? I remember researching about the Uchiha clan in the past, but for some reason the files on Uchiha Itachi are restricted. According to history he had massacred the entire Uchiha clan and was also Sasuke's elder brother so I thought it'd be important to know more about him, but why isn't his information accessible to the public?"

Izaya's expression softened and saddened a little as he let out a soft sigh. Iraia took notice and was truly curious now.

"Papa?"

Izaya just softly patted her head. "Iraia...there is a reason why the file on Itachi is restricted. Unfortunately I can't tell you why. Not right now at least, but I'll tell you what I can. It's true. Uchiha Itachi massacred the entire Uchiha clan except for Sasuke, but I want you to know this, sometimes people are faced with unimaginable choices. It doesn't matter if the person is good or bad, it just so happens that they have a choice to make and either choice only leads to a path of darkness. So what do you do? You choose the lesser of the two evils that aligns as close as possible to your ninja way. That's it. So I want you to understand this about Itachi. No matter what history says about him, please don't think too horribly of him. Okay?"

Iraia was inwardly confused but nodded her head.

_At first I thought that Uchiha Itachi was a criminal who mercilessly killed his entire clan out of spite, but if papa says differently then there is definitely more to the story. For some reason the entire truth can't be made public. Maybe if I become as strong as papa one day I'll get to learn more. And thanks to papa I now understand Zen a little better. To think that he had to go through all of the things he did when he was so young...no wonder whenever I look him in the eyes it feels like he carries so much sadness in them. _

Iraia was brought out of her thoughts as Izaya poked her in the cheeks. "Why don't you get some rest. It's getting late now."

"Papa...will you really be staying around longer this time?"

Izaya smiled softly and nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

Iraia couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she asked, "Then will you help me train my Magnet Style tomorrow? After seeing Shinki use his Magnet Style in the Chunin Exams I think I'm ready to start learning how to control mine."

"Alright. I will."

"Promise?"

Izaya chuckled and poked her nose.

"Promise."

With that Iraia happily dashed off leaving only him and Hanabi. He took in a deep breath before letting it out feeling his entire body relax. He felt Hanabi stir in her sleep as she unknowingly snuggled closer to his chest. It didn't take long before Izaya fell asleep to the sound of her soft rhythmic breathing.


	13. The Five Great Games Begin!

Chapter 13

The next morning Izaya and Iraia stood near the center of the Hyuga training grounds as he watched over her training as promised. Currently Iraia was practicing how to better control and produce a steady flow of magnetic chakra through her body. She had successfully magnetized 8 shurikens in front of her and was currently working on the last two. Sweat dripped down the side of her forehead as she concentrated on coating them with her chakra. After another minute passed by she had finally completed the task. She panted heavily at the mental strain placed on her for having to concentrate so hard. Izaya looked over all the shuriken and confirmed that they did indeed carry Iraia's unique magnetic chakra in them.

"Good job Iraia. All in all It took you 5 minutes to completely coat 10 shuriken with your magnetic property. That means you average about two shurikens a minute. This is a good start, but it's still too slow for your Magnet Style to be useful in combat. Now that I know what level of control you have over your Kekkei Genkai we'll start with improving your foundations. We'll begin with phase 1. For every odd hour I want you to build up your magnetic chakra as much as you can inside your body and simply keep it contained. For every even hour I want you to immediately expel all the magnetic chakra you contained outside of your body. Then immediately begin infusing your normal chakra again and repeat this cycle for 6 hours everyday for a total of 2 weeks. Then we can begin phase 2. That's when you'll start coating metal ninja tools with your magnetic chakra. To pass phase 2 you have to be able to coat at least 10 ninja tools in 30 seconds or less. Then phase 3. That's when we'll start training you in the unique Jutsu you've been telling me about that utilizes your Magnet Style."

Iraia nodded obediently and excitedly at Izaya's training plan and got straight to beginning her phase 1 training. As Iraia sat down beginning her training Hiroshi ran over to them. He was watching from around the corner and felt a bit jealous that Iraia got to hog Izaya for training all to herself so he decided that he'd join in as well. After all he also wanted to improve on his Kekkei Genkai.

"Dad, train me too! Since Iraia's training consists of just her building up her magnetic chakra for 6 hours everyday then that means you have time for my training as well right?"

Izaya smiled amusedly at Hiroshi. "Alright alright. Of course I have time to train you as well. So, which of your Kekkei Genkais are you trying to improve?"

"Dad, train me in the Explosion Style!"

Izaya nodded and ruffled Hiroshi's hair. "Good choice."

"So what should I do?"

Izaya simply smiled and pointed to Iraia. "Same thing. Do what your sister is doing. I want you to build up your explosive chakra inside your body and contain it on every odd hour and expel it from your body on every even hour for 6 hours everyday for a total of 2 weeks. The thing is, your training is a bit more...destructive than Iraia's and the nature of your Kekkei Genkai could cause some serious damage. So while you train I'll have to keep a barrier around you."

Hiroshi pouted a bit and grumbled, "Aw maaaan...in the end I'm stuck doing the same thing as Iraia."

Izaya just laughed and lightly patted Hiroshi's shoulder. "Come on. You got this. I know you hate monotonous training like this but you have to build a strong foundation first. Just like how you began with your Wood Style training."

Hiroshi let out a sigh in defeat and nodded as he got right to it. Izaya created four black receiver rods and placed them around Hiroshi before fueling his chakra through them and created a barrier to protect the surrounding area from being terribly damaged by Hiroshi's explosive chakra. Izaya sat nearby as he proudly watched Iraia and Hiroshi completely focus on their training.

_Mn. These kids of mine...I wonder if they're forcing themselves to work this hard or if they actually want to train this much out of their own free will. Either way I wouldn't mind if they wanted to remain my cute little Hiroshi and Iraia a little longer. They're growing up so fast. Iraia's already learnt to control and focus the power of her Byakugan and Sharingan. She also has a pretty good handle on her Lava Style. She was born with a unique 3 innate elemental affinities of Wind, Fire, and Earth natures that manifested themselves as the Lava, Magnet, and Scorch Style Kekkei Genkais. All this time she's been working on her Lava Style. Now she's ready to move on to the next one huh...and Hiroshi. His potential is no less than Iraia's. He was also born with 3 innate elemental affinities of Water, Earth, and Lightning that manifested themselves as the Wood, Explosion, and Storm Style Kekkei Genkais. Hiroshi's gotten a good handle on his Byakugan and is very masterful at his Wood Style and now he has also awakened a Sharingan like Iraia. Furthermore he's ready to move on to his next Kekkei Genkai as well. Perhaps one day they might truly surpass me. _

After training Hiroshi and Iraia in the morning he left for a remote training ground in Konoha to meet with Zen.

"Karasuma-sensei! You're back!" Zen exclaimed happily.

Izaya smiled at Zen's expression.

_Seems he's doing better than I thought. Looks like being in Konoha has helped him a lot. And his duties as an Anbu has helped him learn more about the shinobi world. _

"Zen, I heard that you've become a Chunin. Congratulations! I'm very proud of your progress. I also heard that you've been performing your duties as an Anbu perfectly and you've even taken up my name in the past as Ghost."

Zen sheepishly nodded his head. "Yes sensei...though I am unworthy of holding your title as Ghost I-"

Izaya just laughed and quickly interjected, "Don't say that. If anyone should take up my past title as Ghost within the Anbu then it can only be you Zen. No one else would be more fitting."

Zen nodded happily. "Then, sensei, is there a reason we are meeting out here in private?"

"There is. You and I will start meeting everyday in the evening here at this training ground. It's been awhile but it's time to start up your training again."

Zen widened his eyes in surprise and excitement and quickly agreed.

_Sensei is finally going to train me again! It's been so long I can't wait. _

The days and weeks came and went as Izaya continued with his schedule. Training Hiroshi and Iraia in the mornings and Zen in the evening. During the afternoon he would do all he could to assist Hanabi with her work lightening the load on her and if there was anything major in the village that needed attending to he would be there to provide assistance. At this moment Izaya was currently massaging Hanabi's shoulders as they had just finished their work.

"Mmmmm...that feels good Izaya."

Izaya smiled and had Hanabi lay down on her stomach across the couch as he continued to massage her body.

"Mmmm...Ngh...Izaya. Thanks for helping me with work. I'm finally caught up."

"Don't even mention it. It's something I should naturally do."

"Izaya...can I ask you a question?" Izaya moved down to her lower back continuing to massage her muscles and nodded. "What is it?"

"It's about Naruto."

"Naruto?"

Hanabi nodded. "Do you think there's something going on with him?"

Izaya simply raised his eyebrow in confusion. "And by that you mean?"

"Well...a few weeks ago on the night of father's birthday I had a talk with Hinata. And...well...Ahem...after our talk she said something about how whenever Naruto has time to go home he's always really tired and usually heads straight to bed. After recently talking with her again she said that not too much has changed."

Izaya kept his eyebrow raised in confusion. "So...ummm...sorry Hanabi I'm not really following. Are you saying that there's something wrong with Naruto?"

Hanabi thought for a moment about how to word her question before saying, "Well...I'm not sure. I was wondering if you noticed anything strange with his behavior or something. I was just perplexed."

"Perplexed? The reason?"

"Well, I mean I understand that he's Hokage and he probably has a lot of work on his hands, but no matter what I just can't fathom the possibility that he would have more work to do than you Izaya. I mean you were the Hokage as well and I feel pretty certain that the amount of work you had to do as the Hokage was greater than the amount Naruto has to deal with. After all you took over during the greatest depression the village had ever been in. I know that you put a system in place to reduce the workload of the Hokage, but even then the amount of work you had to deal with was tremendous. You worked to re-stabilize the village after the war. Rebuild its economy. Dealt with public unrest. Strengthened international relations with other lands and villages and not just the other Great Ninja villages. You solidified the foundations of the ASF and implemented major reforms to not only rebuild, but to improve on the strength of the village. For example you revamped the entire structure of the military. You designed the most comprehensive education system the village has ever had. And you reestablished Konoha's working police force just to name a few. You basically had to do everything from scratch again and in all of that chaos, stress, and work you still somehow managed to set aside time in your schedule just for me. Even when we had Hiroshi and Iraia you forced yourself to make more time just for the three of us. You were completely overworked. In fact overworked is putting it nicely. I remember the days when you would come home and were simply exhausted, but you always forced yourself to stay awake. You played with the kids and even attended to my needs."

As Hanabi recounted the memories of those days a tear fell from her eyes. Izaya took notice and gently bent down wiping the tears from her face. She couldn't help feeling a mix of warmth, love, and pain well up inside of her. "Izaya...I'm sorry."

Izaya simply kissed her cheeks. "Nothing for you to be sorry about. I'd do it all over again for you and the kids."

Hanabi could only nod. "I know. But I'm still sorry. Every time I think about those days I always feel like I didn't do enough for you."

Izaya laid down next to Hanabi on the large couch and softly entwined their hands together. "You might think like that but it isn't true. You're the reason I was able to keep on doing what I did. I should know, after all I was on the receiving end of all of your support."

Hanabi took a deep breath and nodded before she continued, "Where was I?"

"Something about my workload compared to Naruto's."

"Right. Anyways my point is, even with the workload you had to deal with you still made it home to me and the kids and you still made time for us. I understand that everyone is different and handles work differently and that Naruto isn't you, but I still feel that the amount of work Naruto has to deal with shouldn't be on the level of work that you had to deal with. Is it a chakra thing? Chakra is produced within our bodies from our mental and physical energies. The more we exhaust them the more fatigue we feel. In other words the reverse is also true. Even without using chakra to infuse Ninjutsu if we exhaust our mind and physical stamina we'll feel fatigued and be unable to produce sufficient chakra. I assume this is why Naruto is always so tired when he goes home?"

Izaya thought about everything Hanabi said for a moment but in the end he was still a bit confused. "But Hanabi...why does this matter? Is Naruto's returning home tired after work causing problems for his family?"

Hanabi slightly flinched as her cheeks turned red remembering the reason Hinata brought this up in the first place. "Ahem...I-I suppose you could say that it's causing some...difficulties."

Izaya looked at Hanabi with curiosity. "Like?"

"Errr...well...like...his libido?..."

The room became deathly silent. Izaya took a moment to take in Hanabi's comment before he burst out laughing. "Ha! Hahahaha! So that's what it is huh?"

Hanabi turned completely red and pinched Izaya's cheeks as she scolded, "Hey! What I just told you is a secret okay?! You can't mention this to Hinata or anyone or Hinata will know I told you."

Izaya just smiled amusedly. "Yes wifey. Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

"Hmpf. Good. So now you know the reason why we're having this conversation. Any thoughts? Is it a chakra problem? Is that why Naruto is so tired all the time?"

Izaya furrowed his brow in seriousness as he gave it some thought. "Hmmm...now that you mention it Hanabi I'm actually wondering myself. I haven't noticed anything strange about Naruto though. He seems fine. At least during the day. Even when we sparred awhile back. To be honest I'm not sure if it could be a chakra thing. You're right that I put systems in place so that the Hokage doesn't have to do an overwhelming amount of work by themselves. In this way Naruto should have more time to spend with his family and he shouldn't be feeling so completely drained after. In terms of chakra there isn't anyone on this planet that I'm aware of that possesses more than Naruto. Not Sasuke, not Kimimaro, not Haku, not even me."

Hanabi stared at Izaya in wonderment and asked, "You have Tailed Beast level chakra though right?"

Izaya nodded. "I do. But what does that really mean? To put it bluntly are all the Tailed Beasts even equal in chakra level? If they aren't then how do you even begin to compare a person's chakra level with that of a Tailed Beast. So let me explain. You have to first understand the Tailed Beasts and how they came to be. Hagoromo had probably intended to split the Ten Tails chakra evenly amongst the Nine Tailed Beasts, however there are several possibilities that came about. As powerful as Hagoromo was perhaps even he couldn't perfectly control his Jutsu to split the Ten Tails evenly. After all he was creating life out of chakra and life can be unpredictable in how it grows and manifests itself. During the process it could be that the chakra didn't split evenly between all the Tailed Beasts. It's also possible that they were actually even in the beginning, but as they continued to grow into adulthood the potential they each possessed was different and could have been greater in some than others, just like humans. When humans are baby's they begin pretty equivalently, but as they grow older the innate potential they each possess could be higher for some than others and if given the right environment they can tap into that potential and become even greater. It could be that one or the other happened when Hagoromo performed his Jutsu, Creation of All Things, to create the Tailed Beasts. It's also possible that both things had happened. All in all the Tailed Beasts are a bit unbalanced. In short the Nine Tails possesses the greatest amount of power amongst its kind whether it was born that way, or whether its potential manifested itself in that way. Disregarding the Nine Tails, the Eight Tails possesses the most chakra afterwards. Then the Seven, Six, and Five Tails who all contain about a similar amount of chakra. And after them the One through Four Tails who possess a similar amount of chakra to each other. In short the One-Four Tails possess less chakra than the Five-Seven Tails, and they possess less than the Eight Tails. Even though this is the case, in essence the difference in chakra can be ignored as it isn't too much of a factor in the strength a Tailed Beast possesses."

Hanabi tilted her head in confusion. "How so?"

Izaya gently brushed away a stray strand of fallen hair from the side of her cheeks as he continued, "To better understand I'll use a lake and pond analogy to describe chakra. For the sake of argument let's arbitrarily set the size of a lake to 100 acres large and a pond to 10 acres large. The amount of chakra the One-Four Tails possess is equivalent to 1 lake and 5 ponds. In other words a total of 150 acres worth of chakra. The Five-Seven Tails possess chakra equivalent to 1 lake and 7 ponds. In other words a total of 170 acres of chakra. When looking at the scales of such large numbers the difference of 2 ponds of chakra is essentially negligible. It's like pouring two cups of water into a bathtub of water. You don't really see or feel the difference. At this point what makes the Tailed Beasts stand out from each other in strength is not the amount of chakra they possess, but the unique attributes and abilities they each have such as the One Tail's Magnet Style and Sealing Jutsu, the Four Tail's Lava Style, the Five Tail's Vapor Style, and so on so forth. Now what about the Eight Tails? Well, the Eight Tails possesses chakra equivalent to 1 lake and 10 ponds. This is key. You see if 1 lake equals 100 acres in size, then 10 ponds also equals 100 acres in size. Wouldn't it make more sense to say that the Eight Tails possesses 2 lakes worth of chakra instead of 1 lake and 10 ponds? Unfortunately no. The reason? It's because of quality at this point and not quantity. You see there is a fundamental difference in the quality of a lake versus the quality of a pond. 1 pond is originally 10 acres in size. The quality of a 10 acre sized pond is obviously inferior to that of a lake that is 100 acres in size. Even if you stacked 10 ponds together to get 1 lake the quality isn't the same. That is why even though the Eight Tails possesses more chakra than the One-Seven Tails it's actually not overwhelmingly stronger than the others. It stands a better chance at a battle of endurance and can spam chakra taxing techniques a bit more than the others, but that doesn't actually make it truly stronger than the others. So long as we are talking solely about the Tailed Beasts without a Jinchuriki that is."

"Now what about the Nine Tails? For some odd reason the Nine Tails tips the balance power of the Tailed Beasts. It possesses 5 lakes worth of chakra. Not ponds but lakes. So not only is the quantity of the Nine Tail's chakra that much more immense, but the quality of its chakra is also overwhelmingly greater. Again, whether this was how the Tailed Beasts were from birth, whether it was how they manifested in strength after growing up, or whether it was a combination of the two, this is how their powers scale in comparison to each other. Now, back to the topic at hand. What do people mean when they say that someone has chakra on the level of a Tailed Beasts. They simply mean that someone possesses at the very least 1 lakes worth of chakra. Not 10 ponds, but lake. So not just quantity, but the quality of their chakra also appears to be as dense, pure, and heavy as a Tailed Beasts. Does this mean that someone possesses more chakra than a Tailed Beast or an equal amount of chakra as one? Often times no. For instance if I continue with this analogy I possess 1 lake worth of chakra. That puts me on the scale of a Tailed Beast, however the Tailed Beasts possess at least 1 lake and 5 ponds worth of chakra. I only possess 1 lake worth so I'm still lagging behind in the area of quantity. Furthermore the purity of each person's chakra is different and plays a factor as well. So even if one possesses 1 lake worth of chakra it doesn't mean that the purity of that lake worth of chakra is equivalent to the purity of the chakra of a Tailed Beasts. It may come close, but not exactly. Anyways this is what people mean when they refer to someone as having Tailed Beast level chakra. As for the topic of chakra purity and going from the level of a pond to a lake, we can talk about that another day. For now it's not relevant enough to the point I'm trying to make. Chakra purity is even more confusing to explain than chakra levels. So finally, getting back to the real reason why I'm explaining all of this. You bring up an interesting point. Naruto alone without Kurama has 1 lake worth of chakra in him. With the addition of Kurama he should have access to 6 lakes worth of chakra fueling him so fatigue shouldn't be a problem for him while he's performing his duties as Hokage. Naruto hasn't mentioned whether anything is wrong with him though. And even with my Rinnegan I can't really see anything wrong within him. I guess I can only ask if he feels something off."

Hanabi could only let out a sigh of defeat.

_Sorry Hinata. If even Izaya doesn't know what's going on then I can't help you on that front. You'll just have to do what I suggested...dress less...maybe that'll elicit a response from Naruto. _

Hanabi was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt her entire body tremble in pleasure. "Izaya, what're you doing?"

Izaya smiled mischievously as he laid gentle kisses down Hanabi's body. "What do you mean? I'm just continuing your special massage from earlier. Besides, enough serious talk. Let me help your body relax."

Hanabi tightly gripped the soft hair on Izaya's head as her entire body trembled in a hot mess at the feel of his warm wet breath between her now naked inner thighs. She could barely keep her eyes open as she tilted her head back from the pure blissful stimulation Izaya was currently giving her. She arched her back and opened her mouth wanting to scream in pleasure, but she was out of air so she could only suck in a deep breath to refill her lungs. It was then that her mind went blank. She saw nothing but stars as her entire body shook uncontrollably in pure ecstasy. She involuntarily gripped Izaya's soft snow white hair even tighter than before holding on for dear life as she could only scream in guttural pleasure.

"F-F-FUUUU-I-IZAAAYYAAA!"

Izaya simply grinned and licked his lips in triumph.

**888**

Currently within Naruto's office stood 8 people as they patiently waited for Naruto to say something. They had been summoned to the Hokage's office on short notice so they all arrived as quickly as possible, however when they all got there Naruto was still busy documenting some papers into his laptop. The only sounds in the room were of Naruto's fingers clicking and clacking away at his keyboard until finally, he let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair to stretch his muscles.

"Whew...finally that's done."

At that moment Konohamaru, one of the 8 people summoned to the office raised his eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Umm...Lord 7th, is there a reason we're all here?"

Naruto smirked as he stood up and stared appreciatively at the 8 people in his office. "There is a reason you're all here. I've finally thought it over and discussed with Shikamaru and the Jonin Commander Neji. You 8 will be competing in the Five Great Games."

"EEEEHHHHHH?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

Moegi, who was also in the room simply stared wide-eyed at Naruto as she commented, "B-But Lord 7th, to participate in the Five Great Games on behalf of one's village is a great honor. A-Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"

Naruto just smirked. "Nope. I mean, that is if you all are okay with it. If any of you here wish to opt out then please tell me now."

Seeing that no one voiced any dissent Naruto grinned and sat back down in his chair as he proceeded to explain some important details. "Alright, then here's how the teams will be formed. Moegi you will be the Jonin in charge of Konoha's Team 1. The three Chunins in your team will be Sarutobi Mirai, Hyuga Ken, and Kurama Rumi. As for Konoha's Team 2 the Jonin in charge will be Sarutobi Konohamaru. The Chunins in your team will be Nara Shikadai, Hyuga Hiroshi, and Yagami Zen. Unfortunately there isn't going to be a third team this year from Konoha, but I have faith in the abilities of the two teams attending. I'll finish up the paperwork for registering your team by the end of the day, but the registration process still requires all of you to sign a few things in person at the ASF HQ. So tomorrow I want the 8 of you to travel to the ASF HQ and complete your registration there. After you all complete that I want you all to get familiar with each other's abilities and build on your teamwork. The games will start 2 months from now in Iwagakure. Any questions?"

"No Lord 7th. Thank you for the opportunity, we won't disappoint you!" They all replied.

As the hours trickled by the sun began to set in the sky painting a warm orange hue over the village. At this moment Izaya sat down in comfortable silence atop his rock head on Konoha's cliffside enjoying the view. It was then he heard some footsteps behind him knowing exactly who they belonged to. "Sasuke. Good to see you're back."

Sasuke smirked and sat down beside Izaya. "I should be the one saying that. After all you're the one who dashed off into some other dimension."

"True, but I'm not the only one. You've been exploring Kaguya's dimensions haven't you? And I heard from Naruto about the trip you took to the past."

A moment of silence passed between them as they both watched the hustle and bustle of the village below before Sasuke clenched his fist and asked, "Izaya, why didn't you stop me?"

Izaya raised his eyebrow confused and replied, "Stop you from what?"

Sasuke just let out a sigh as there was no easy way to ask other than to simply ask straightforwardly. "Why didn't you stop me from leaving the village?"

Another moment of silence passed through the air between them as Izaya watched a group of kids dashing around throughout the village playing a game of tag. After a minute or two he let out a sigh. "Haaaa...are you so sure that I could have stopped you?"

Sasuke simply nodded. "I'm no fool. When Boruto, Hiroshi, and I went back in time we arrived on the day just after I had left the village. After witnessing your skills against Urashiki there's no way you couldn't have stopped me. Now that I think about it you probably had a few markers set throughout the forest at that point already didn't you? You could have teleported to one to get ahead of the Sound Four Ninja who took me with them. You could have stopped me even before Orochimaru appeared yet you didn't."

"That's all in the past. Does it matter now?"

Sasuke also stared down at the village kids who were running around playing tag. "Whether it matters now or not won't change anything, but at least for myself I would still like to know. It's bothering me more than I thought it would. To not know the answer. The reason. Why you made the choice to let me go when so many in the village like Naruto and our other classmates tried so hard to stop me."

"I see...well, I don't know if you'll be very impressed with my answer then."

Sasuke slightly flinched at Izaya's response. "So it's true. You really could have stopped me if you wanted to."

Izaya shook his head. "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I haven't even said anything yet." He took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, "The truth is I witnessed your fight against Naruto on the roof of the hospital that day. And even after that I witnessed you fighting the Sound Four Ninja during the night you left."

Sasuke widened his eyes in shock at this revelation but remained silent as he waited for Izaya to completely explain.

"If you want to know the reason why I simply turned a blind eye then I suppose the best answer would be because it was your Ninja Way. It was your choice."

Sasuke's eyelid twitched as he heard Izaya's answer. "That's it? So you just let me go because it was my choice?"

Izaya let out a quiet chuckle. "Disappointed? Are you thinking now that you would have preferred I stop you back then?"

Sasuke remained silent as he truly thought about it. "Can I hear the rest of your reasoning? I know that wasn't the only reason."

Izaya smirked and sighed in defeat. "Alright...You're right of course. That wasn't the only reason I decided to let you go. The main reason I let you go was because your heart was filled with hatred. You desired blood. Your mind was plagued by it. Revenge and power was the only thing that was reflected in your eyes. The friendships and bonds you built in the village were there too, but the way I saw it...it didn't look strong enough for you to want to remain. So, sure I could have stopped you, but what then? Take you back to the village? Tie you up? Place you under surveillance? Lock you in jail? House arrest? Like any of that would do you any good. You craved power. And at the time I don't think Konoha would have been able to give you what you wanted. Except for perhaps Danzo. Danzo would have probably tried to use your anger and drive for revenge to get rid of Itachi, but in the end he would have sent you to your death. I don't think I need to explain just how terrible the situation would be if you were left in Danzo's hands. And I don't believe Lord Third would have been able to help quell your anger. He wouldn't have known how to face you. After all he knew the truth of Itachi. He wouldn't have been able to bring himself to train you to a level where you could kill your own brother, Itachi, the person who Lord Third knew was actually a person who sacrificed so much for the village. Now, at the time you were under Kakashi's tutelage, but even then I don't think Kakashi would have been able to train you to a level where you would've been satisfied. After all, you had just witnessed Itachi's strength and were placed in his Genjutsu and sent to the hospital. Kakashi fell to the same Jutsu. The rage you built up inside of you wasn't anything anyone in Konoha could help you with. Not at the time at least. Of course I'm saying all of this in hindsight. At the time I too wouldn't have thought or known all of this."

"Essentially I let you go because it was your choice and it was what I thought was best for everyone. I was following my own Ninja Way. That night after you lost to the Sound Four Ninja they gave you a choice. And you left the village on your own accord. That means the rage and hatred in your heart was so overbearing that without some outlet to help you vent, then it would only hurt and slow your progress as a shinobi, and as a person. Sometimes the best way to help someone who is deeply sated in darkness is not to stop them, but to let them walk down the path they set for themselves. In a way it helps them realize what kind of path they had chosen and sometimes, after having experienced a bit of that darkness, they learn to better control the hatred within themselves. At that point the hatred is no longer this blinding force hammering away at their soul. Instead the person will have learnt to focus it into something more. It also becomes easier to have a conversation with that person at that point. If we had tried to talk you out of it when you were running away you would have only become angry at us. You would have directed your hatred at us as well as at Itachi. You would hate us and shun us for forcing you to stop the path that you believed was your duty and purpose. If we took that purpose away from you then...honestly I'm not sure what would have happened. Anyways there you have it. The reasons why I didn't stop you from leaving. In short you were following your Ninja Way and I was following mine. It may not seem like it but I understood a bit of your hatred. Your desire for power. To kill. To take revenge. I foresaw a path that you would walk and felt that it was a path that you needed to take. It was a gamble, but I decided to bet my chips on the fact that you wouldn't be completely lost in darkness and that you wouldn't reach the point of no return where you no longer could be saved. In the end my gamble paid off. Then later on I discovered the truth about Itachi and things played out from there. You know the rest."

At this point the sun had completely disappeared as the moon began to rise into the sky. A heavy silence filled the air between Izaya and Sasuke with the only sounds being from the villagers below. Then Sasuke let out a loud sigh as his entire body relaxed. "I see. Perhaps you're right. Back then I was completely blinded by anger and hatred and fueled by my desire for revenge. The only person back then in the village who could have helped me achieve the power I wanted would probably of been the 3rd Hokage, but as you said he probably wouldn't have been able to truly train me with all his heart since he knew what I wanted and knew about Itachi. Kakashi's strength at the time wouldn't have been enough and Danzo would have taken advantage of me. Heh...who knew you thought so far ahead of everyone else when we were at that age, but I suppose you always were perceptive and secretly cunning. You even figured out that Boruto, Hiroshi, and I were from the future. Furthermore you even deduced that Boruto was Naruto's son and Hiroshi was your's."

Izaya raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Really...I did?"

_Hmmm...I don't recall any of this, but it's true I was still in the village at the time. Right after Sasuke left, Kimimaro, Haku, and I remained in the village for a few months so Maro could recover and train under Hiruzen-sensei for a bit. After that we left for our Anbu mission. I'm not surprised I discovered who Boruto was, after all I should have recognized his face from my knowledge of the future._

Sasuke noticed Izaya's furrowed brow and knew that he was thinking hard about the events that took place and just shook his head. "Look at you. You weren't even there but even now you're deducing how you as a kid figured everything out aren't you? It's fine. You don't need to think so hard. It's one of your greatest traits and also one of your greatest shortcomings. You always tell people that they shouldn't try to do everything themselves so I think you should take some of your own advice. There's no need for you to think so hard all the time. Sometimes it's easier to just ask for the details."

Izaya flinched at Sasuke's comment and awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek. "Ah...to think I'd have to eat my own medicine one day. Right...it's a bad habit of mine. So, Naruto told me some things but he wasn't there either so he couldn't give me all the details. Now that you're here you're right. I don't have to think so hard about it. Will you tell me the whole story?"

Sasuke nodded. "Heh. Sure…"

Time passed by as the days turned to weeks and weeks into months until the day of the Five Great Games finally arrived. Currently Konoha's Team 1 lead by Moegi, and Konoha's Team 2 lead by Konohamaru were standing by the entrance of Iwagakure taking in the sights and sounds before them. The entire village was filled with festive decorations from left to right. The loud noises of the hustle and bustle of people from all over the world crowded in the area to witness not only the Games themselves, but to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the 7 day long tournament.

Shikadai awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he commented, "S-So...seems like Iwagakure and the ASF really went all out this time." As he turned to look for Hiroshi he widened his eyes in shock as Hiroshi had already disappeared. "Eh? Hey guys, where's Hiroshi?"

Konohamaru awkwardly smiled and pointed in the distance. "He's over there buying some food."

Shikadai simply let out an awkward laugh. "Well...at least one of us doesn't seem overwhelmed and is enjoying themselves."

Konohamaru nodded as he, Shikadai, Zen, and Team 1 all walked over to Hiroshi who was currently eating some freshly made Takoyaki.

"You guys should really try some of this food. There's so many things to eat. It all looks so good!"

Konohamaru just let out a sigh. "Alright, it's nice to see you enjoying yourself but we are here on official business you know. We'll have time to enjoy ourselves later but we need to report to Iwagakure's academy auditorium. That's where all the participants are supposed to gather for the formal greeting and Lord Hokage will be there as well. Let's go. We don't want to be late-kore."

With that the 8 of them quickly made their way to the designated site. It wasn't long before all the participants arrived. Aside from the 2 teams from Konoha, 3 teams from Iwagakure, 3 teams from Sunagakure, 3 teams from Kirigakure, 2 teams from Kumogakure, 3 teams from Amegakure, 1 team from Hoshigakure, and 1 team from Ishigakure arrived for a total of 18 teams in attendance for the Five Great Games. The noise of loud chatter could be heard from all the teams gathered in one area. Hiroshi took notice of some familiar faces amongst the members gathered here such as Shinki from Sunagakure, Kaito from Iwagakure, and Kagura from Kirigakure.

_Hmmm...So Shinki and Kaito were promoted to Chunin huh? Eh? And it looks like Kagura is here. If I'm not mistaken I remember Shikadai saying that he was part of the team that won the very First Great Games! Heh...should be interesting. Last time we fought it was only with swords. This time I won't hold back. After training with dad I'm going to show everyone the fruits of my labor. _

It was then that the entire room went dark causing the entire auditorium to go quiet, then five spotlights quickly shone down on the stage.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five imposing shinobi stood on the center stage. They were precisely the Five Kage. Konoha's 7th Hokage Naruto, Suna's 5th Kazekage Gaara, Iwa's 4th Tsuchikage Kurostuchi, Kiri's 6th Mizukage Chojuro, and Kumo's 5th Raikage Darui. As the Games were being held in Iwagakure this year Kurostuchi stepped forth to address the crowd.

"Welcome! All teams to Iwagakure. I am the 4th Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi. It is a great honor and joy for Iwagakure to be hosting the Five Great Games this year with the support of the ASF. I won't waste too much time with superfluous words. I know you all here are shinobi and are shinobi of the highest calibre. In these 7 days I hope that not only will you seek to perform your best on the field, but to build lasting relations with one another. To show to the world and each other that not only does the heart of a shinobi remain within us all, but to show that we as shinobi have time and time again overcome the hatred that has plagued the world in the past! To show that we have come together in this day and age and have built something greater! And to show that it was, and is, only possible when we do that together!"

A round of applause filled the auditorium in support of Kurotsuchi's speech for a good 10 seconds before Kurotsuchi continued, "Now then, although you all are most likely familiar with the schedule of the Games already I'll give you the formal address. The Games last for 7 days. Today marks the 1st day of the Games. There is no official competition today, however all participants are to arrive in the Grand Hall tonight at 9pm sharp. There, a grand banquet will be held to welcome all teams. This will be your time and chance to relax and learn more about each other. And I don't mean learning things like each other's strengths and weaknesses as a shinobi, but rather what interests and hobbies you all might have. It is your chance to learn more about each other as human beings. This is your time to mingle. To perhaps even...ahem...get into a romantic relationship."

At Kurotsuchi's words multiple people in the room had their faces turn red in embarrassment at how bluntly Kurotsuchi put it, however she simply smirked at the innocent and naive reactions of the participants.

_Heh! They may all act tough but in truth they're still kids who need to learn to loosen up a bit. _

After giving everyone a moment to recover she continued, "You will be told where to report for each game the day before it begins. Having said that the 2nd day will be the start of the First official Game, Unsealing of the Scrolls. The 3rd day will be the Second Game, The Hidden Gems. The 4th day will be the Third Game, Synergy. The 5th day is the Fourth Game, Skill. And finally the 6th day will be the Fifth and last Game, To Be Shinobi. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be announced on that day. Then the last and final 7th day will be your day to enjoy the rest of the festivities with a closing banquet in the evening. Any questions?"

After confirming no one had anything to say Kurotsuchi nodded appreciatively. "Then you're all dismissed. Don't forget to dress up during the banquet!"

With that everyone dispersed. It wasn't long before nightfall arrived and all teams were grouped together behind the stage of the Grand Hall. There were many high ranking officials, shinobi, and people of certain status gathered in the Hall from many different parts of the world. Some had connections to the feudal lords, in fact the feudal lords themselves were in attendance. Some were powerful and famous shinobi, Kakashi and Guy were amongst them. Others were affiliated with large corporations and businesses, in essence the current crowd within the Grand Hall were all important people. They had all gathered for the very special occasion of the Five Great Games and were allowed to attend the banquet to meet and mingle.

At this moment a member of the ASF stood on the center stage as he began calling out teams from certain village's so as to formally introduce the competitors. It wasn't long before Hiroshi heard their team called up so he walked on stage along with Konohamaru, Zen, and Shikadai. They were currently all dressed in a suit and tie, well perhaps except Konohamaru who for some odd reason just couldn't get rid of his scarf around his neck. After their introduction they joined the banquet party grabbing drinks, food, snacks, and making small talk here and there. Sometimes having to awkwardly do their best to avoid saying anything dumb in front of these important officials.

Shikadai raised his eyebrow and awkwardly laughed with a hint of self mockery as he took in the sight before him. Hiroshi and Zen were being crowded by a swarm of girls asking for their information. Shikadai simply shook his head.

_I mean...I get that they're both good looking guys but seriously? I don't feel jealous or anything, after all, that just seems like a pain to deal with. But still...not even one huh? Guess those two are stealing all the limelight._

It was then Shikadai was snapped out of his thoughts as he hadn't even realized that Hiroshi dashed over to him. The swarm of girls followed but Hiroshi quickly said, "Ahem! Ummm...Right sorry ladies. I'd like to stay and chat a bit more but turns out there's some important tournament stuff my teammate and I have to discuss with our sensei. Right Shikadai?"

Shikadai raised his eyebrow confusedly and was just about to question Hiroshi when he felt Hiroshi's grip on his shoulder tighten. Shikadai just looked at the girls in front of them awkwardly and quickly nodded his head. "Right! I forgot about that. We should probably go now."

Hiroshi smirked. "And there you have it. Maybe next time." Without waiting for a response he quickly dragged Shikadai away over to Konohamaru who raised his eyebrow at them suspiciously. He was going to make a comment when he saw Hiroshi wink at him so he simply shrugged his shoulders and continued his talk with Kakashi and Guy while Hiroshi and Shikadai continued their own conversation.

"So, anyone you think we should watch out for?" Hiroshi asked.

Shikadai thought for a moment before nodding his head in seriousness. "I do. Team 1 from Sunagakure. Their Jonin instructor is a guy named Shira who specializes in Taijutsu. I hear he once fought a fierce battle against Lee-sensei many years ago. Not only that but Shinki is in that team and his teammates don't look like pushovers. There's also Team 1 from Iwagakure who has Kaito in it. On top of that Akatsuchi is their Jonin leader. I hear he's a formidable shinobi and used to be part of the Tsuchikage protection squad back in the day for the 3rd Tsuchikage. Kirigakure's got Kagura who was part of the team that won last time so we should be careful of them as well. Actually to be honest everyone here looks like they aren't pushovers."

Hiroshi nodded. "Guess we should just focus on ourselves then instead of worrying about how tough our competition will be."

"Agreed. So, where's Zen?"

Hiroshi smirked and nodded in the direction of the balcony. "He escaped outside."

Shikadai breathed out a sigh. "Well...seems he has the right idea. Wanna join him?"

In response Hiroshi simply began making his way over to join Zen with Shikadai close behind. And like that the 1st day of the Five Great Games came to a peaceful close.


	14. First Game: Unsealing of the Scrolls

Chapter 14

The sun rose in the air over Iwagakure as the loud sounds of the hustle and bustle of the village could be heard in the celebration of the 2nd day of the Five Great Games. Currently three people were walking around the village shrouded in cloaks to hide their looks. Just as they were roaming around the crowded and bustling village a person accidentally bumped into one of the cloaked figures. Angered, that cloaked figure was about to lash out, however before he could retaliate he heard the commanding voice of his comrade speak.

"Kai. Stay your hand. We did not come here to cause trouble. We are simply observing. Know your place."

Kai gritted his teeth before turning away from the frightened villager and whispered disappointedly. "Hmpf. As you wish...Koji."

As Kai walked off disappearing into the crowd Koji just let out a sigh and shook his head.

_He better not blow our cover. The time isn't right yet. Kara can't be exposed too early or I'll lose my chance to observe Jigen more. I need more time to find out his weaknesses. If it wasn't for the organization giving Kai a job to reach out to the feudal lord of water during the Five Great Games he wouldn't even be here. Tch. I'd have killed him already too, however I'm not sure how Soren will react. _

Koji was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of Soren's voice. "We should split up."

Koji furrowed his brow behind his mask and cloak and nodded. "Very well. And what will you be doing, Soren?"

Soren slowly began walking away as he replied indifferently, "Observe the competition. It will help us gauge the current standing of the Five Great Nations. Besides, it's also a festival. Perhaps I'll get something to eat."

With that only Koji remained as he stared at the spot where Soren disappeared to.

_Hmpf...Sansen Soren...the only member of Kara's inner circle that is a bit of an enigma to me. Other than Jigen he's the only other person I can't get a good read on. _

Without wasting anymore time Koji walked off and also disappeared into the crowd. Currently there were multiple large screens erected all over the village projecting the live recording of the Games. At this moment all participating teams were gathered at the Mountain Hill Forest near Iwagakure where the First Game, Unsealing of the Scrolls, would take place. Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai remained seated in their room as they waited to be called upon.

Konohamaru looked at his team and said, "Alright you three, it won't be long before our team will be called. It's anyone's game. We might be facing a team from another village or we could even be facing the team from our own village. Whatever happens just do your best. Now, you all remember the rules of the game right?"

They all nodded as Shikadai commented, "Mn. The First Game is called Unsealing of the Scrolls. There is a 2 hour time limit per game. The stage setting will be one of the designated areas in the Mountain Hill Forest. Our team will be pitted against another team. Each team will be given a scroll and two unsealing tags. The unseal tags must be kept on one or more of the team members at all times while each team will be given 10 minutes before the start of the Game to hide and conceal their scroll. The objective of the Game is to obtain our opponent's scroll and unseal tags and then successfully use them to open the scroll whilst at the same time defend our own scroll and ensuring that our unseal tags aren't stolen from us. The unseal tags must also be visible at all times meaning everyone will know who carries them. Obtaining our opponent's scroll is worth 30 points. Obtaining one unseal tag is also worth 30 points. In total if we succeed in stealing the scroll and both unsealing tags from our opponents then we'll gain 90 points. If one team gains all 3 items and fails to unseal the scroll before the time runs out then that team is penalized 30 points. That means we'd get 90 points for obtaining all of their items, but if we don't unseal the scroll by the time limit we'll lose 30 points bringing us down to 60 points. Also, for every item we manage to keep safe then we will gain 30 points. In essence, if we successfully keep both unseal tags and our scroll safe we will gain another 90 points for a total possible points of 180. If we steal all three of their items, but they manage to steal two of ours then that means we'd gain 90 points plus 30 points for keeping one of our items totaling 120 points, but the other team will gain 60 points for being able to steal 2 of our items. Unsealing the scroll will also end the game."

Konohamaru nodded at Shikadai's quick recap of the rules. It was then that they heard the Iwagakure announcer and referee call out. "And now welcome to arena field number 3! From Iwagakure, Team 2 led by the Jonin Ittan! Along with the three Chunins Ganji, Khan, and Jiro!"

The crowd surrounding the outskirts of the large field shouted in excitement as the participants appeared before them. The Five Kage sat on the highest tower observing everything below as several giant screens also portrayed the visuals of everything happening in the large arena field. Currently there was another game going on as well in a different arena field and the happenings of that battle was being displayed on screen. Darui smirked and commented, "Oh, Mizukage, looks like team 1 from your village is doing quite well against team 3 from Sunagakure. If I'm not mistaken that Chunin Kagura was one of the participants in the last Great Games and even won."

Chojuro simply smiled and fixed the glasses on his head as he replied, "Well, I am quite confident in their ability. Now I wonder who will be facing off against Iwagakure's second team."

It was then that the announcer shouted, "And now! Please welcome team 2 of Konohagakure led by the Jonin Sarutobi Konohamaru! Along with the three Chunins Nara Shikadai, Hyuga Hiroshi, and Yagami Zen!"

Once again the crowd went wild with loud cheers and shouts as Konohamaru and the others arrived on the large arena field. After both teams grabbed their respective items the announcer then continued, "Both teams will begin on opposite sides of the chosen field. They will have 10 minutes to conceal their scroll in the area and make preparations with their unsealing tags. Then without further ado, match...START!"

Immediately after the announcer finished his words both teams scattered to their respective sides. Konohamaru dashed through the stone trees and asked, "So, any ideas? Where and how should we hide the scroll?"

Shikadai pondered for a moment before speaking up. "I have an idea. What if we let Hiroshi create a fake tree and we hide the scroll inside and mask it as a stone tree using the Transformation Jutsu. Zen, one of your specialties is Genjutsu right? You can also set up a Genjutsu trap around that area to fool our opponents just in case. All we have to do is keep the fighting away from that area and pretend we're defending a different spot. We can even make a fake scroll and plant it somewhere pretending to defend it. As for the matter of the unseal tags we should let Konohamaru-sensei keep one and Zen, you keep the other. Hiroshi and I will each use the Transformation Jutsu on a piece of paper to make it look like an unseal tag when in reality they're fakes. That'll confuse them and make it harder for them to make the right choice."

Instantly the other three agreed as Hiroshi praised, "Nice Shikadai! That was some quick thinking given the fact that we weren't told which area we were going to be stationed in."

After the 10 minute time limit ended the true start of the game began. Zen remained hidden in an area pretending to be defending their scroll there while Shikadai dashed along the middle of the area where both sides would meet. Konohamaru and Hiroshi were the two who entered the enemy's territory to search for the scroll as Hiroshi's Byakugan gave him an enormous advantage. Konohamaru and Hiroshi stood hidden behind some stone trees as they both waited in patience.

"How close are they Hiroshi?"

Hiroshi focused on his Byakugan as he replied, "About 700 meters out and closing. There's three of them. No...wait...I'm seeing several dozen of them. Most likely clones, however the real ones might be mixed within them. From the looks of it the three enemy shinobi are the Jonin Ittan, the Chunin Ganji, and the Chunin Khan. The clones are mainly Ittan's and Ganji's. It also seems like Ittan and Khan hold the unsealing tags."

Konohamaru frowned. "Can you see if the scroll is hidden somewhere nearby?"

Hiroshi let out a complicated sounding sigh. "Well unfortunately they know that I'm part of the Hyuga clan thanks to my name so they took counter measures to make it a bit more difficult. I see several tens of scrolls hidden throughout the entire area. Most likely some sort of Clone technique. Also there's one member of their team hidden approximately 1.7 km north west of here by several hidden scrolls. Those scrolls seem a bit different. Something looks off about them but I can't tell why or if that's what they intended for me to see. It's possible they thought of a similar strategy and are guarding a fake area to force us over there."

Konohamaru nodded in agreement. "They know you possess the Byakugan so they prepared well. How about this. I'll go confront the Jonin, the two Chunins, and their Clones while you circle around on the sides and continue your search."

Hiroshi frowned. "You can't be serious Konohamaru-sensei. I know you're strong, but that's a Jonin and two Chunin who were personally picked for the games by the 4th Tsuchikage."

Konohamaru smirked, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm only working to stall them." He then placed his hands in the Clone sign and created a Shadow Clone. The Shadow Clone then used the Transformation Jutsu to look like Hiroshi. "I'll make it look like I'm going to fight them to give this clone of you time to run off and escape pretending to look for the scrolls. They're sure to send someone after it and it won't be a clone if they want to ensure the safety of their scrolls. I'll slowly lead them to where Shikadai is hidden. If we play our cards right Shikadai might even be able to capture them in his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. And even if they get past Shikadai and I, they'll still have to face Zen who already laid multiple layers of Genjutsu traps along the way."

Hiroshi nodded after hearing Konohamaru's plan as they both separated. Just as Konohamaru predicted Khan dashed after the clone as Ittan and Ganji engaged him in combat. Hiroshi had already left that area and was now searching for the scrolls. As he dug up one scroll after another he found nothing but fakes. He gritted his teeth and continued on. After digging up the 14th fake scroll he frowned and stared at the direction of the last enemy member who stood protecting an area of scrolls.

_The last member of their team is called Jiro. Looks like that guy named Khan is still chasing after Konohamaru's clone and slowly leading him towards Zen's Genjutsu traps while Konohamaru is still stalling Ittan and Ganji slowly leading them to Shikadai. Wait, now is the perfect chance to confront Jiro. It's possible that they gambled on the fact that we would think that Jiro is defending a fake area so we would avoid him and not waste our time confronting him. However, what if Jiro is defending the actual scroll? In that case the set up of all these scrolls in the area is a ruse forcing me to waste my time here digging them up one by one. On top of that it is a safer bet for them to have Jiro defend the actual scroll since he might be able to call for backup. But with his teammates all occupied he has no idea that they can't come to his aid right away. I'll use that chance to place him under my Sharingan's Genjutsu and find the truth from him. _

After collecting his thoughts Hiroshi dashed with his greatest speed towards Jiro's location. In a mere few minutes he arrived within 50 meters of Jiro and hid in the shadows of the large stone trees. He quickly placed his hands in the Clone sign and said, "Wood Style: Multi Wood Clone Jutsu." Immediately several clones of him appeared in the vicinity as he dashed around back to get behind Jiro. Just as one of the wood clones dashed out of the rocky forest Jiro quickly responded and shouted, "Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Right as the wind scythe slashed through the wooden clone several of Hiroshi's other wooden clones appeared in the air above, all aiming to restrain Jiro. This caused him to panic and widen his eyes in alarm. Just as he was captured and restrained by Hiroshi's clones his body turned into liquid water. His real body was dashing away in the distance as Jiro pulled out a kunai attached paper bomb. Just as he was about to toss it into the air a small wooden tendril tripped his feet causing him to stumble and crash into the ground. His fall caused him to drop the kunai and groan in pain. Before he had a chance to make his next move he heard Hiroshi's voice, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!"

Fwish!

Not a moment later Jiro was completely ensnared as the wooden snake sunk its fangs into his neck causing his chakra to become suppressed preventing him from molding any into Jutsus. Hiroshi walked out of his hiding spot and commented, "Impressive. A Water Clone. Not bad. I didn't expect that from someone of Iwagakure, but too bad your disguise didn't help you escape. Since you're in the area, my Byakugan can still find you, that is unless you escape outside of my range. Unfortunately unless you possess a transportation technique you wouldn't have been able to escape my visual range fast enough."

Hiroshi picked up the kunai attached paper bomb that Jiro dropped and fancily twirled it in his hand. "Let me guess. This was meant to signal your teammates right? Odd though...why would you choose to run and leave the area you were meant to defend? Does that mean you aren't actually protecting your scroll here? Then, where is the real scroll we need?"

Jiro simply narrowed his eyes and scowled. "Hmpf. Go ahead and take a look. You have the Byakugan right? Just take your pick."

Hiroshi shook his head. "That's your mistake. You gave in too easily. Telling me to go take my pick right off the bat. I'm not that gullible."

In the next moment Jiro widened his eyes in shock and trembled a bit in fear as he witnessed the change in Hiroshi's right eye transform into that of the Sharingan. Hiroshi smirked in triumph as he instantly caught Jiro in an ocular Genjutsu. After a few seconds passed by Jiro slumped to the ground completely knocked out as Hiroshi turned back to the area Jiro was guarding just a moment ago and smirked. "No wonder the 8 scrolls hidden here looked a bit strange. Their Jonin-sensei Ittan placed some sort of barrier Jutsu around them to obscure my vision. Turns out the actual scroll really is hidden here. I would then have a 1 in 8 chance at choosing correctly and even if I chose correctly he placed a trap that would activate the moment I unearthed any of the scrolls. The entire ground would collapse and a signal would be sent in the air letting the other members know that they needed to return. Since their Jonin-sensei set up this trap he didn't bother telling the other members of his team how to disarm it. No wonder Jiro gave in so quickly. Not bad, not bad. Now I'm forced to make a selection, however it's too bad they didn't think about how to counter my Wood Style."

Hiroshi stood outside the range of the 8 scrolls and placed his hands on the ground causing wooden tendrils to erupt from the ground and snatch all 8 scrolls at once. Immediately the entire ground surrounding each of the scrolls collapsed deep into the ground before the barrier around the 8 scrolls expanded in size and connected to one another forming a giant semi-circular barrier dome above the collapsed ground trapping anyone who fell inside. Not a moment later Hiroshi took note of a contraption that shot a kunai attached paper bomb straight up into the sky as the means to signal everyone that the area with the scroll had been compromised, however thanks to Hiroshi's Byakugan and Sharingan he was able to react fast enough and tossed out his own kunai knocking the kunai attached paper bomb off balance and into a thick wooden box he created with his Wood Style before it could gain any momentum.

Boom!

The signal ended up exploding within the wooden box having the noise muted and the smoke created from the explosion trapped. Hiroshi grinned at his success as he looked at the 8 scrolls that formed the barrier. Only one of them remained a scroll at this point whilst the other 7 had been unfurled revealing a seal that activated upon being tampered with. He walked over and grabbed the real scroll triumphantly as he made his way back to the others.

At this moment Konohamaru panted heavily as he stood in the middle of the stone forest face to face with an immobilized Ittan and Ganji. Ittan gritted his teeth in shock as he struggled to move any of his limbs and commented, "This is...Urgh...the Nara clans Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!"

Shikadai stepped out from the shadow of the trees and nodded his head as he focused on restraining the two Iwa ninja. "That's right. Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, complete."

Ganji frowned at their current predicament. "How long have you been waiting there? Wait…" He then turned to stare at an exhausted Konohamaru and commented, "You...You purposely led us here. You pretended to hold us off while that kid Hiroshi ran off to search for our scroll. You pretended to panic and worry about Hiroshi's safety after we sent Khan after him and chased in his direction convincing us that we had you on the ropes when in actuality you were leading us to a trap all along."

Konohamaru simply grinned as he finally got his breathing under control and nodded. "True. We did plan that out, however I was really pressured in that fight."

Ittan simply smirked a bit self mockingly at himself as he chimed in, "Heh! The fact that you were only pressured in that fight is a testament to your strength. To think that you'd not only hold your own against Ganji and I, but you even managed to destroy all of our clones before leading us to a trap." Ittan then frowned as he finally noticed something odd. "Wait...how is that possible? Why do you both have an unsealing tag when I saw that kid Hiroshi run off with one too?"

Konohamaru slowly walked over to Ganji and Ittan as he replied, "Oh. That? It was just a little trick. Actually the Hiroshi you guys sent Khan after was just one of my clones under the Transformation Jutsu. The real Hiroshi has probably already found where you all hid your scroll." He then removed the unsealing tag off of Ittan's waist as he commented, "The other unsealing tag is with your teammate Khan right?"

Ganji furrowed his brow in frustration. "Hmpf. Don't think it'll be easy to get that tag from Khan. There's a reason we were okay with letting him go off on his own. Khan is strong."

Konohamaru just smiled in response. "That's fine. After all, my clone is leading him to someone who's also strong on our team." Without wasting anymore time he knocked out both Ganji and Ittan.

Shikadai let out a breath of relief. "Phew...Jeez Konohamaru-sensei. Did you have to spend so much time talking to them? I was starting to lose control over their paralysis."

Konohamaru just awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck apologetically.

Meanwhile Khan dashed with great speed as he was slowly catching up to Hiroshi's retreating form.

_That's odd. Why the heck has he just been running around all this time? In fact he hasn't even made any real turns nor has he even tried to shake me off his tail in the past few minutes. It's almost like he wants me to follow him._

Then it hit him. Khan immediately widened his eyes in shock at the realization that he had probably fallen into a trap, however it was too late as he noticed that the person he was following all this time puffed into nothing but smoke. "A Clone?"

Just as Khan was about to rush back to his teammates he noticed the entire stone forest behind him had suddenly become denser with even more stone trees than before. When he turned back to his front he noticed the same thing. The stone trees in his vicinity were continuing to increase in number with every passing second. He quickly realized that he had entered a sort of Genjutsu type trap and placed his hands together shouting, "Release!" The moment he successfully freed himself from the Genjutsu his mind went completely dark as Zen appeared behind him and knocked him out. He grabbed the unseal tag on Khans waist and tied him up before dashing off to meet with the others.

In less than 10 minutes later Konohamaru, Shikadai, Hiroshi, and Zen gathered back together and utilized both unsealing tags they successfully retrieved from the opposing team and unlocked the opposing team's scroll. A brilliant light erupted from the unsealing of the scroll as it projected a giant image in the sky signaling their victory and ending the game. Their victory immediately generated loud shouts and cheers from the people in the festival. Some people had decided to bet on which teams they thought would win and which teams they thought would lose. Those who had bet on Konoha's 2nd team at that moment were especially happy. Even the feudal lords had their own bets going on and none were as happy at that moment as the feudal lord of fire who had bet on his own country's team. As the hours passed by and all teams had their matches the final results of every team's points were displayed on screen.

Konoha's 1st team obtained 90 points against Suna's 2nd team which gained 60 points.

Konoha's 2nd team obtained 180 points against Iwa's 2nd team which gained 0.

Iwa's 1st team obtained 180 points against Iwa's 3rd team which gained 0.

Suna's 1st team obtained 180 points against Amegakure's 2nd team which gained 0.

Kiri's 1st team obtained 180 points against Suna's 3rd team which gained 0.

Kumo's 1st team gained 180 points against Kiri's 2nd team which gained 0.

Kumo's 2nd team gained 0 points against Hoshigakure's 1st team which gained 180 points.

Ame's 1st team gained 180 points against Kiri's 3rd team which gained 0.

And finally Ame's 3rd team gained 60 points against Ishigakure's 1st team which gained 90 points.

All in all Konoha's 2nd team, Iwa's 1st team, Suna's 1st team, Kiri's 1st team, Kumo's 1st team, Hoshi's 1st team, and Ame's 1st team held the current lead being tied at 180 total points.

The sun had just began to set in the sky as the end of the First Game came to a close. Some teams were extremely happy with their results, others wholly disappointed and frustrated. Hiroshi, Shikadai, and Zen were obviously among the teams that were happy with their results and were now walking through the village taking in the sights and sounds of the festivities. It wasn't long before they bumped into some familiar faces.

"Oh, Kaito, Koen, you both are walking around too huh?" Hiroshi commented.

The two brothers turned at the sound of their names and smiled amiably at Hiroshi.

"Yeah, the food here is great! And the atmosphere is nice as long as you can get over the whole crowded thing." Koen responded.

Hiroshi snickered and said teasingly, "What happened, Koen? You didn't make it to Chunin?"

A thick vein popped on Koen's forehead at Hiroshi's teasing comment. "Hmpf! If only you had given up during the exam when we fought!"

Hiroshi just burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Don't blame me. You insisted on fighting one on one to settle the score. No wonder you weren't promoted yet. Still stuck on that one track mind of yours huh?"

Koen smirked mischievously and responded, "Oh? Well I've had time to practice my Jutsu. Maybe you'd like to have another go right now? I'll vaporize you into next week!"

Hiroshi inwardly flinched and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he attempted to change the subject. "Ha...Hahaha...errr...Oh! Right, you both are from here. So, any suggestions of what to check out?"

Kaito just shook his head in amusement at the verbal exchange between Hiroshi and Koen as he responded to the question. "Actually Koen and I were about to head over to the Diamond Auction House. You guys want to come?"

Shikadai raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Diamond Auction House? It sounds fancy. Don't you need reservations to attend things like that? And money?"

"Yeah. Dad's going to be there. He has a private room that seats up to 15 guests. Not all of them are being used up so there'll definitely be room for you three. Koen and I are just going to observe to see what kinds of things will be put up for auction."

Hiroshi quickly nodded in agreement. "Alright sounds fun! Count us in!"

Shikadai thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and decided to just go with the flow as he gave a sideways glance at Zen who also didn't seem to mind. It wasn't long before the five of them arrived at a giant luxurious looking building with multiple guards stationed all around it. Before they could enter the doorman stopped them.

"Halt. Please show your invitation letter and I.D. card."

However, before anyone could respond Kimimaro emerged from inside the building. "It's alright. They're with me."

The doorman immediately panicked and stepped aside as he politely nodded. "R-Right. Of course. I didn't mean to obstruct such noble guests. Please, make your way inside."

Hiroshi raised his eyebrow in curiosity but simply followed Kaito and the others inside. He took note that while the outside seemed beautiful and luxurious it held no candle to what the inside looked like. A few minutes later after taking a couple stairs and elevator rides they arrived at a large golden and shiny room with red satin couches and curtains with a giant glass window leading to a view of the auction below. To Hiroshi, Shikadai, and Zen's surprise there were already two others in the room and it was people they recognized.

"Mom? Dad?!" Hiroshi exclaimed in shock.

"Lord 6th?" Shikadai said in confusion.

"Sensei?" Even Zen couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

Izaya just smirked at all of their reactions and pointed to the couches signaling for them to take a seat, which they did. "What's with the shocked faces?"

Hiroshi scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Nothing. I just...didn't expect you and mom to be here. And wait, when did you both arrive in Iwagakure anyways?"

Hanabi smiled at Hiroshi's confusion but before she could reply the door opened revealing Iraia's frame.

"Sis?! You too?!"

Iraia simply walked over and sat down next to Hanabi and Izaya as she replied, "Yeah. We just got here this morning. Just in time to watch the start of the First Game. Congratulations, the three of you completely won your first match. Oh, and Kaito, you too."

"Ehhh...you guys should have told me you were coming. Wait, did others from Konoha come too? Err...is the village going to be alright then?"

Hanabi chuckled and nodded. "Others did come. It is the Five Great Games after all. It's only held every 2 years so it is a special occasion. Even if the others aren't competing there are still a lot of festivities they can take part in. And there's no need to worry about the village. Even though Naruto is here and not in the village we are at a time of peace. The Hokage spending a week away from it won't cause the village to crumble or we would have failed as its leaders. Shikamaru and his team are in charge of things and Neji, Lee, and Sai are there as well. After all they are now the Jonin Commander and Vice Jonin Commander. And Sai is the Police Chief."

It was then the door opened once more revealing Kurotsuchi, Haku, Akane, and Asuka. Haku smiled as he gave Kimimaro a warm hug. "Maro, I haven't seen you in a few months. It's been a long time since big brother, you and I have all been in the same room."

Kimimaro nodded. "It has. It's good to see you all again. Let's take our seats. The auction should begin soon."

The adults all gathered and took their seats in the back of the room. Kimimaro, Izaya, and Haku sat next to each other as Kurotsuchi, Hanabi, and Akane took a seat near each other, meanwhile all the kids gathered down in the front by the large window. Hiroshi, Iraia, Koen, Kaito, Asuka, Zen, and Shikadai waited with great interest to see what items would be revealed. The very first item up for auction was a very ancient and old scroll containing the technique for a Sealing Jutsu related to the First Tsuchikage during the warring era. The bidding price started at 80,000 ryo. All of the kids immediately widened their eyes in a bit of shock at how costly the very first item's price was, however they were even more shocked at how high the bid suddenly became in a mere few seconds. Zen was the only one who wasn't shocked as he wasn't too accustomed to dealing with large sums of money so he furrowed his brow and asked, "Is 80,000 ryo a lot of money?"

All of the kids gave Zen a weird look except Iraia as she commented, "Right...you probably aren't too familiar with the scale of money on this continent."

Zen nodded. "I don't really pay attention to what I get paid for missions so I don't really know."

Iraia let out a small laugh causing all the kids to drop their jaw in shock again as they rarely ever see Iraia so relaxed in front of others. She then proceeded to explain, "Here, I'll give you a quick summary. In terms of missions a D-rank mission averages 5,000 ryo as the payout. C-rank missions average about 30,000 ryo. B-rank missions average about 80,000 ryo. A-rank missions average approximately 150,000 ryo. And S-rank missions start at 1,000,000 ryo. So the scroll up for auction is already worth an average B-rank mission. Only high level Chunins and Jonins are ever assigned B-rank missions and those missions can be dangerous enough to cost one their life. The fact that the starting bid is equal to a B-rank mission is kind of surprising. That's a lot of money."

It was then they heard the auctioneer announce the winner of the first item with the ending price being 210,000 ryo. Zen stared at the auction below with a bit of surprise and intrigue. "210,000 ryo? The price more than doubled. That means it's true worth is about an A-rank mission?"

All the kids nodded as Kaito commented, "That's right. Well I'd say its true worth is probably around an average of 150,000 ryo, but that's because although that sealing scroll is rare it isn't the only one in existence. I think mom has one too stored away in a well protected place. The people bidding for it are those who either wish to study more about Sealing Jutsu, are fans of the First Tsuchikage, or are collectors of rare and ancient artifacts."

As they all watched with excitement discussing the next few items the 9th item up for action not only shocked the kids, but all the adults as well as they stared at the katana on the auction floor. The auctioneer began his description of the weapon at that moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you a rare artifact indeed. This weapon was found on the remnants of the 4th Great Ninja War battlefield! It's power and durability is of the highest quality. We've tried utilizing all methods available to us to try and chip the blade but to no avail. After our auction house performed a thorough investigation we discovered the origins of this blade. This is none other than the sword of kusanagi that was wielded by the one and only Dark Fire Shinobi, Uchiha Sasuke during the 4th Great Ninja War! Whether for decoration or for personal use it is sure to be a great asset to anyone! The starting bid will be set at 20,000,000 ryo!"

Haku had an awkward look on his face as he stared at the sword below. "Huh...Sasuke lost his sword during the war right? Guess we know where it ended up now."

Kimimaro nodded and let out an awkward sigh. "I wonder if Sasuke would try to buy it back?"

Izaya just shook his head amusedly. "Likely not. Sasuke can get a new one whenever he wants by paying a visit to Orochimaru. Oh? The bids gone up to 40 million ryo now. That was fast. I suppose the allure of obtaining the sword personally used by Sasuke during the war is eye catching. And to be honest the quality of the sword is of one of the highest make. I can't think of something that could actually break it except for my own sword."

The kids could only stare and continue to widen their eyes in shock as the price kept skyrocketing higher and higher until finally, someone from within another private room won it for 60 million Ryo. All the jaws on the kids simply dropped in disbelief at how insanely rich the people in the rooms were. Kaito turned to look at Kurotsuchi and asked with uncertainty, "Mom...are we actually that rich too since we're in a private room?"

Kurotsuchi awkwardly scratched the side of her cheek as she turned to look at Kimimaro for an answer. Kimimaro just shook his head. "Sorry Kaito. We're well off but not to the point where we could just spend 60 million ryo on a sword. We were allowed a private room because of our current status. Not money."

Kurotsuchi flicked Kimimaro on the forehead as she remarked, "Oi, you didn't have to be so blunt about it. Instead say something like there's no need to waste our money on a sword that we wouldn't even use."

Kimimaro gave an apologetic look and nodded as he turned his attention back to the kids. "Kaito, like your mom said. There's no need for us to waste our money on a swo-"

Kurotsuchi cut him off as she let out a sigh and placed her hand over his mouth. "Never mind. Honestly...this husband of mine…"

Everyone in the room gave an awkward smile at their dynamic but soon returned their focus on the auction. It wasn't long before the last item was placed up for auction ending the event, however as the announcer put it, to appreciate everyone's attendance they had showcased one more item. It was a completely black box that didn't seem to have any special features except for having some intricately designed patterns carved on it. The announcer even described it as being mysterious as they weren't sure of its function. In the end some person in one of the private rooms won it for 1,000,000 ryo. Izaya furrowed his brow a bit when he saw the black box but couldn't see anything odd with it so he left it alone.

By now it had gotten very late as the sky turned completely dark, however there were still lights all around illuminating the village from the festival. Izaya turned his attention to the kids. "Why don't you all turn in for the night. It's midnight now and you all have to wake up early in the morning to prepare even if the Game doesn't start until noon. You need your rest. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the festivities on another day."

They all nodded as Zen, Kaito, Hiroshi, and Shikadai quickly took their leave. Iraia then asked, "Papa. Is it okay if Asuka and I keep walking around? We don't have to compete in the morning."

Izaya simply smiled and nodded. "Alright. That should be fine. Just don't be out too late. You still want to wake up in time to watch the Second Game right?"

Iraia and Asuka simply nodded in reply as they dashed off while Koen dashed after them shouting, "Hey! Wait for me! I'll show you guys around!"

The adults could only shake their heads in amusement at the kids before Kurotsuchi yawned. "Alright. It's getting late and as Kage I have to be up early tomorrow too for the Games."

Kimimaro nodded. "Then I'll walk you back."

"Hm? But...Maro it's fine if you want to stay. You haven't seen Izaya in awhile, right?"

Izaya just smirked. "It's fine. Kimimaro and I will have plenty of time to catch up. It's only the second day of the Games. Plus I'll be around for awhile so there's no need to rush."

Kimimaro nodded as he held onto Kurotsuchi's hands causing her to blush. "A-Alright. If you say so. Then, ahem...let's go dear."

Kimimaro nodded. "I'll see you in the morning Izaya, Haku. And it was good to see you again Hanabi, Akane."

Haku, Akane, Izaya, and Hanabi watched the two couples walk off into the night as Akane gripped Haku's arm and said excitedly, "Haku, let's go take a look at the games!"

Haku awkwardly glanced at Izaya who simply smirked in response. In a defeated sigh Haku nodded and gripped Akane's hands. "Alright. You win. Sorry Izaya, Hanabi, maybe we can hang out tomorrow. I have a score to settle with Akane."

Akane smirked as she dragged Haku away. "It's currently 3-1 you know. You need to step up your game honey."

Izaya and Hanabi just watched them slowly disappear into the crowd as Hanabi commented, "I didn't know Haku was that bad at games. With his skills as a shinobi I thought he'd be really good at them. At least the ones requiring hand-eye coordination."

Izaya glanced at Hanabi amusedly and kissed her on the temple. "Silly wife. Haku is letting Akane win. For now at least."

Hanabi raised her eyebrow curiously at Izaya's answer. "What do you mean for now?"

"Haha, well I was the one who taught Haku how to gamble. If you want to win big then you have to downplay your skills a little. Give your opponent a bit of hope. After they take the bait and think they have you on the ropes, then you go all out in the end."

Hanabi pouted at Izaya's answer. "Hmpf. I'm never gambling against you."

Izaya smirked and softly whispered in her ear. "What if the stakes are when we both win…"

Hanabi's cheeks flushed red as she immediately walked off in embarrassment. "L-Look Izaya, aren't you hungry? The okonomiyaki looks good!"

Izaya could only shake his head in amusement at Hanabi's reaction, however in the next moment he frowned as he noticed how many of the men in the crowd started eyeing Hanabi up and down. He quickly walked over and placed his arms around her shoulders pulling her right next to his frame. "Hanabi, please be a bit more aware of how attractive you are."

"Hmpf. I honestly think I should be the one telling you that." Hanabi pouted as she took note of all the women staring at Izaya with glossy eyes. They explored the festival for the next two and a half hours before deciding to turn in for the night. As they walked away from the area filled with festivities and into the much more quiet neighborhood where they were temporarily staying Izaya sensed someone approach from the shadows of an alley so he halted his steps warily.

"Izaya, what's wrong?"

"Don't move Hanabi." Izaya said as he stepped out in front of her. It was then a cloaked figure appeared before them and removed his hood prompting both Izaya and Hanabi to widen their eyes in a bit of surprise.

"Kai?" Hanabi questioned as she recognized his face.

Kai nodded and smiled amiably at her. "It's been a long time...Hanabi. More than a few years since we last saw each other."

Hanabi furrowed her brow a bit and asked, "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

"I was just passing by when I noticed your presence. You know it's dangerous out at night. Especially with large festivals like this going on. You never know what kinds of people happen to sneak in."

Izaya frowned at Kai's wording. "You sensed Hanabi's presence? And you were hanging out in a dark alley? Why not meet us in the open?"

Kai glared at Izaya and smirked. "Right...Karasuma Izaya. You are here too."

Izaya furrowed his brow at Kai's condescending tone. "Seems you have an ulterior motive for meeting us here like this in secret where no eyes are around. So, out with it."

Kai just laughed. "Ha-Hahaha! Right. Very well. Hanabi, I don't understand why you chose to stay with this guy. I hear he leaves you alone quite often going on some sort of excursion of his. Surely you aren't happy with him. I can give you more than that. I can give you the life you want. I don't even mind that you have two kids already. Hiroshi and Iraia, I'll treat them as my own."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes in disgust and confusion. "I've never been happier in my entire life! What you're saying...is insane. What happened to you Kai? You weren't like this before."

Kai just smiled sinisterly. "So that is a no I presume? It's fine. Sometimes people just need to experience things before they realize that it's what's best for them. I'll take you away and you'll see it was everything you ever wanted."

Izaya let out a sigh as he didn't want to hear anymore of Kai's nonsense. Just as he took a step forward he widened his eyes in shock as Kai pulled out a black box. The very same black box that was sold at the auction earlier. Before Izaya could even say anything a silver black light filled the area for a split second before it disappeared along with him. Hanabi widened her eyes in panic and shock at what she had just witnessed. Just as she activated her Byakugan and was about to attack she felt a nick behind her neck in her blindspot. In mere moments she slumped to the ground unable to control her body's movements.

"K-Kai! What have you done?! Where is Izaya!"

Kai just smiled happily as he stared at Hanabi with possessive eyes of desire. "Don't worry about Izaya. I've trapped him in this box. It's known as the Dark Moon Box. It contains a powerful Sealing Jutsu on it and is made out of very special material that conceals its true nature. Complimentary work of the Otsutsuki clan."

Hanabi widened her eyes in shock. "What are you saying? Are you working in conjunction with the Otsutsuki clan? Impossible. The three that arrived on this planet were already dealt with."

Kai just laughed ignoring her questions and continued. "This box fell to this planet alongside Kaguya all those years ago. It has been lost ever since, until now that is. Izaya has been sealed away into another dimension within this Dark Moon Box. As for you Hanabi. There's a reason I stood over by the alley. It was to draw away your attention from the trap I set hidden on the opposite side of the street. Just where I knew your blindspot would be should you activate your Byakugan. With your attention focused over here the trap would be in just the right position to hit its mark. Don't worry. The serum injected in you only causes you to lose voluntary control over your body's movements. You'll still feel everything."

Hanabi felt her body tremble a bit in fear at hearing Kai's words, but she quickly calmed down as the image of Izaya filled her mind. "What are you planning to do?"

Kai licked his lips as he slowly walked closer and closer. "I'll make sure your body forgets all about him. About Izaya. Yes. Your mind will only be filled with thoughts of me. Ever since we fought together in the 4th Great Ninja War in the 2nd division there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you. And now, you'll finally be mine!" Just as Kai was about to grab a hold of Hanabi he felt something hard bash against his chest flinging him through the air and back into the alley he walked out from.

"Izaya!" Hanabi exclaimed as she stared at Izaya's tall handsome frame illuminated in the moonlight right before her. Tears unknowingly fell from her eyes. Izaya felt his heart throb as he quickly bent down and removed the needle in Hanabi's neck before embracing her in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Hanabi. I didn't mean to return so late."

Hanabi shook her head. "It's not your fault. You got back just in time. I was so scared that something bad had happened to you." She did her best to calm down her emotions and continued, "I knew you'd come back though. I believed in you. I always will."

Izaya felt his heart ache a bit and nodded. "Of course I will. You're the most precious person in the entire world to me. Can you move?"

"No. He used some sort of immobilizing poison. He prepared all of this in advance. Be careful Izaya. He said that that black box of his came with Kaguya all those years ago. I don't know how he knows."

Izaya frowned at Hanabi's words and quickly raised his hand catching several more poisoned darts aimed right at him. He then infused his chakra into the needles and shot them back from the direction they came.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Instantly the device they were fired from were destroyed. Izaya furrowed his brow as he commented, "Scientific ninja tools that can fire projectiles via remote control. And highly toxic needle coated poisons that even I don't recognize. I heard from Sasuke awhile back about an underground drug problem that was happening around the world along with trade of many illegal substances and weapons. Kai, don't tell me you're affiliated with this?" He gently leaned Hanabi against a wooden pillar he made with his Wood Style as he turned back to the alley where Kai had gotten up from.

"Now now Izaya. No need to jump to conclusions. You've been a thorn in my side since the day we've met, but to think that you'd be able to escape the prison I obtained just for you? Tell me...how did you do it? Even with your Flying Thunder God Jutsu you shouldn't be able to jump dimensions. There's no way you should have been able to escape the Dark Moon Box."

Izaya narrowed his eyes in focus and wariness at Kai. "It appears your information on me is outdated. How did you know about this Box? Even I wasn't aware of what it was or what it does. And how did you know it arrived here on this planet alongside Kaguya? Where did you get your information from? You couldn't have found out all of this on your own. Who do you work for? And where did you obtain these scientific ninja tools and poisons?"

Kai just growled with anger and dashed out at Izaya trying to kill him. Izaya simply frowned and easily avoided all of Kai's attacks before quickly kicking him in the side causing Kai to crash into the wall of the alley. Before Kai could make another move Izaya bound him in his Wood Style.

"It's fine if you won't answer me. I have plenty of ways to obtain the information I want with or without your cooperation." However, before Izaya could take a step closer to Kai he quickly turned around and used the sheath of Muramasa to parry and deflect a barrage of shuriken that was aimed at him from the distance. After successfully deflecting the last shuriken he took note of two cloaked figures on the roof of a building off in the distance. One wore a red blindfold and the other a mask. As he quickly glanced back in Kai's direction he widened his eyes in shock noting that two shuriken had pierced and killed him.

_Incredible! I wasn't only defending myself from the barrage of shuriken but I was careful to make sure that none of them hit Kai as well. To be able to get two shuriken past me...exactly who are they? They definitely aren't ordinary that's for sure. _

Before Izaya could say anything the one in a mask spoke up, "Our apologies 6th Hokage. If that man has offended you in any way please note that his actions tonight do not reflect on us."

The man in the red blindfold spoke next. "He has been punished accordingly. We will take our leave."

Izaya frowned and shouted, "Wait!" However he glanced over at Hanabi and stopped himself from giving chase as the two mysterious individuals disappeared in the dark cover of the night.

"Izaya...forget about me. I'll be fine. Those people seem like bad news. They'll get away if you don't go after th-"

Izaya clenched his fist as he leaned down by her side and kissed her lips with angry passion. "Be quiet Hanabi. You still can't move yet. You're making me angry at how you're belittling your life right now. Would you leave me all alone if I was immobile here in the darkness?"

Hanabi realized her mistake and quickly apologized. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I was just worried since they seemed too suspicious."

"Mn. It's good that you understand but I won't let you off that easily."

It was then that one of the shuriken puffed in a plume of white smoke revealing a piece of paper prompting Izaya to raise his eyebrow in curiosity.

"The Transformation Jutsu?"

He picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it reading the one word written on it.

"Kara."

Hanabi frowned. "What does that mean?"

Izaya furrowed his brow in seriousness. "I don't know..."


	15. Second Game: The Hidden Gems

**AN: Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well. Haven't wrote an AN in awhile. **

**WARNING: There is a bit of a "Rated" Scene in this chapter. Please Skip if you do not wish to read it. That is all. Thanks! **

* * *

Chapter 15

Izaya and Hanabi were currently asleep on their hotel bed with the only source of light being the small sliver of sunlight that was able to peek through the tiny slit of the undrawn curtains. Hanabi was stirred awake as she felt Izaya tossing and turning next to her. As she rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them to see why Izaya was being so unrestful she frowned at what she saw and heard. Izaya was currently shifting in bed as he breathed heavily mumbling words of anguish. Sweat drenched his naked torso and his face scrunched up in pain. His muscles began to tense up as he balled up his hands into fists so tightly he would soon draw blood in his palms. Hanabi panicked a little inside and quickly shook Izaya awake.

"Hanabi!" Izaya shouted as he shot up in bed with a frightened expression.

Hanabi instantly wrapped her arms around Izaya from behind his back and embraced him in a warm comforting hug as she softly whispered in his ear, "I'm here...It's okay Izaya. It's just a nightmare. I'm right here."

At the sound of Hanabi's soft soothing voice his heavy and rapid breathing began to slowly calm down. After a minute or two of comforting silence Izaya finally took one last deep breath before returning to reality. He rested his forehead in the palm of his right hand as he felt a pounding headache reverberate in his mind. Hanabi frowned concernedly and let go of Izaya as she slowly crawled in front of him.

"Izaya? What's wrong?"

Izaya simply kept his eyes shut as the pounding headache continued to hammer away at his brain. The images of his nightmare flashing past his mind. The horrid images of Hanabi being taken from him. Of her being defiled. Of her being tortured. Of her pleading and begging for him to save her. A tear unknowingly fell from his eyes causing Hanabi to truly worry now. She repositioned herself by straddling his hips and embraced him in another heartwarming hug letting him rest his head against her shoulder.

"Izaya. It's okay. It's just a bad dream."

After another minute in silence the horrid images finally stopped flashing through Izaya's mind and the pounding in his head went away. Then without warning he immediately wrapped his arms around Hanabi and squeezed her tight to his chest deathly afraid of letting her go. His actions only caused Hanabi to worry more and more as she wondered exactly what sort of nightmare Izaya had that made him like this.

_In all the years I've known and been with Izaya he's never had a nightmare this bad. What's going on? _

She simply let Izaya embrace her as long as he wanted. She was startled when she started feeling drops of water fall on her exposed shoulder.

_I-Is Izaya crying? What exactly did he dream about? _

She frowned and ripped herself out of Izaya's tight embrace so she could face him, but she was a bit startled at what she saw. Izaya had tears streaming down his face as he looked incredibly hurt and pained. His eyes reflected lost, sadness, anger, frustration, and beneath all of that, murderous bloodlust. Hanabi felt just as pained seeing Izaya like this so she simply leaned in and gently kissed away the tears on his face.

"I love you. Everything's going to be okay."

Izaya simply nodded. "Hanabi. I think I might become a monster if the day ever comes where I lose you."

Hanabi was startled by his answer but simply nuzzled her face in his neck. "No you won't. I know it."

Izaya gritted his teeth. "You're right...I won't because I'll be damned if I ever lose you like that."

Hanabi raised her eyebrow curiously. "Lose me like what?"

Izaya shook his head. "I don't want to recall those images."

Hanabi simply nodded. "Izaya...you never had a nightmare this bad. Are you sure you're okay?"

He frowned as he turned to look at the black box in the corner of the room. "I'm fine. It was just a bad dream, but I'm pretty sure it was because of the influence of that black box."

Hanabi inwardly flinched as she too turned to stare at the Dark Moon Box they acquired from Kai that was in the corner of the room. "That thing? But it didn't affect me. Are you sure?"

Izaya nodded. "It felt like the pounding headache I had was somehow resonating with that box before it was drawn away by it. I think I was the only one affected since I was temporarily sealed inside."

Hanabi gave it some thought before nodding in agreement. "Well Kai did say that it was associated with the Otsutsuki clan. It's possible that one of its functions is to cause or accentuate nightmares?"

Izaya frowned at the mention of Kai's name as he had appeared in his nightmare. "Don't say his name. I should have killed him myself." Izaya growled darkly with murderous intent.

Hanabi slightly trembled at the sound and feel of Izaya's words. Izaya took notice and immediately turned his head away from her. "I-I'm sorry Hanabi. I didn't mean to scare you. I don't know what came over me just now. The images from my nightmare are still lingering around a bit inside my head."

Hanabi clenched her fist before she gripped the sides of Izaya's face forcing him to look at her.

"Izaya. Do you see any fear in my eyes?"

Izaya bit his lips in shame but did as she commanded and slowly stared in her eyes, however he was a bit taken aback. Hanabi smiled at his reaction.

"See. I will never be fearful of you. No matter what you do or say. I only know how to love you. And that's all I ever will know. If the images of those nightmares are so horrid..." She then dipped her head down and kissed the nape of his neck. "...then how about we replace those images with something else? Whatever you want."

Izaya's heart pounded in his chest as he gripped Hanabi's waist and growled in possessive desire, "You're mine!"

**RATED SCENE BEGINS: PLEASE SKIP TO WHERE THE STORY RESUMES FROM UNRATED SCENE**

In no time at all her thin nightgown was lost somewhere in the corner of the room as Izaya pushed her down on the large spacious bed. Their current situation immediately made Hanabi recall the night that Izaya had been poisoned by an aphrodisiac and she couldn't help but shudder with anticipation knowing that Izaya wouldn't hold back his carnal desire. Just the thought of knowing that Izaya wouldn't hold back on her at this moment made her ache all over with want. Izaya forced her down on her hands and knees as he embraced her smooth naked body from behind.

"Tell me what you want Hanabi?" He said with a heavy breath steeped in dark arousal.

Her entire body shuddered. The weight of his tall muscular body against hers. The feel of his incredible arousal brushing between her burning thighs. It was too much. She was more than ready. She was so ready that it ached not having Izaya take her already. She clenched her fists around the bedsheets and replied in near desperation, "You...please Izaya, I need you!"

"Damn it Hanabi! You're mine!" Izaya shouted in desire as he gripped her tiny waist and instantly filled her with no reservation. He couldn't help tilting his head back in pure ecstasy as he growled out.

"Nghhhh! Haaaaaa! Hanabi!"

She had wanted to respond but no words came to mind. She had already gone over the edge, but Izaya didn't let up for a moment and she didn't want him to. She simply felt too good. She couldn't even scream in pleasure because she was losing her breath at the rough way Izaya was loving her. Several more thrusts and that was all it took for her to lose it once more and reach that incredible high. The strength in her arms gave in as she collapsed on the bed burying her face and chest in the sheets and pillows. Her entire being quaked and trembled in the next instant as she felt Izaya bite down on her soft, smooth, and sweaty shoulder sending a feeling of pain and pleasure coursing through her entire body. Izaya's action caused him to pause just momentarily, but that momentary pause finally gave Hanabi the chance to catch her breath and release the howling scream of pleasure she had been wanting to shout all this time.

**STORY CONTINUES FROM THIS POINT: RATED SCENE IS OVER**

It wasn't until 4 hours later that the both of them made their way downstairs to the reception area. Izaya was currently piggybacking Hanabi around as her legs felt like pure jelly at this moment for obvious reasons. Izaya couldn't stop the grin that was plastered on his face and Hanabi couldn't help but continue to blush embarrassedly. After they had...made new memories they had gotten ready for the day. The Second part of the Games were being held at noon so they had about 15 minutes left to reach the Game site. During their little walk through the hotel they overheard people complaining about loud pounding noises that wouldn't stop for hours. Some people said they heard loud screaming. Many people had different speculations of what it was. Some were right of course...others were completely off.

As Izaya and Hanabi were about to leave the Hotel the reception desk staff quickly asked, "Excuse me. My apologies for stopping you so abruptly. I was just wondering, do you two know anything about a loud pounding noise or loud screaming? You see my friend and I were debating about it. Everyone we've asked so far has given us mixed answers but the most popular two was that it was either a ghost, or some couple madly going at it. The thing is...most people are starting to lean towards it being a ghost cause I mean...4 hours? Heh, unless that couple never runs out of stamina it seems pretty unlikely right?"

Izaya and Hanabi's face instantly flushed red as they quickly turned to face away from the reception desk staff member and replied, "Umm...maybe both?"

The staff member furrowed his brow for a moment before it seemed like he had an epiphany. "Both?! Ah, perhaps! It was two ghosts madly going at it! That would also explain the entire stamina issue! To think that our hotel is haunted by two lustful ghosts. Now that's a story."

Izaya and Hanabi just quickly made their way out of the Hotel as Izaya let out a loud laugh in amusement at how ridiculous the situation turned out. Hanabi pouted and hid her flushed face embarrassedly behind Izaya's back as she mumbled, "It's not funny...everyone heard us…"

Izaya grinned and continued piggybacking Hanabi making his way to the Game site. "Well...you have to admit that it's a little funny."

Hanabi poked Izaya's cheek. "Hmpf..."

While Izaya and Hanabi continued on their way all the participants were already waiting in their designated areas. Konohamaru sat on his chair with his brow furrowed in deep contemplation as he commented, "Let's not rush when we get out on the field. This time every single team is participating at once. We'll all be placed in one area and we have to survive for 6 hours in the field. The terrain has four giant mountains in each of the cardinal directions and the area in the middle is a forest of stone trees. There's a river that flows across from one mountain to another and there are a few deep trenches around the area as well. The name of this Game is called The Hidden Gems. As the name suggests there are hidden gems scattered throughout the field. According to the rules only 4 gems per team is set in the area. That means that since there are a total of 18 teams the total amount of gems hidden throughout the field is 72. Also, each participating team begins with 10 gems. At the end of the 6 hours any team without at least 14 gems will be disqualified-kore. Also, once a team obtains 24 gems they are no longer allowed to battle for or allowed to keep gems they find. If they violate this rule they will be disqualified. They are, however, allowed to defend themselves should they be attacked. There is also a rule that states that any person discovered or found to be unconscious or currently unfit for combat should be left to their own devices until they regain consciousness or revive themselves into a combat ready state, however raiding gems from unconscious individuals is allowed. Failure to comply with this rule and regulation will disqualify the team that breaks it. Each gem is worth 5 points-kore."

Hiroshi raised his eyebrow in curiosity at Konohamaru's quick summary and so he also commented, "Then...that means that since 4 gems are placed for every participating team, then there's exactly enough gems scattered throughout the field for each team to pass since each team starts out with 10. In the end everyone only needs to find 4 and wait 6 hours to pass."

Zen nodded but interjected, "True, but it's not going to be that easy. For instance how easy will it be to find these gems? I doubt they're just laying out in the open and I'm sure there are even traps laid around these gems making it more difficult to obtain. Also, what is the point of giving every team 10 gems to start out with if gems will be scattered throughout the area? It's obviously to encourage teams to engage one another in battle for gems. In some cases it may be easier to just battle one team and defeat them to obtain 10 gems at once instead of going through the trouble of finding hidden gems one at a time. There is also a gem cap at 24 and a regulation against fighting at that point. Not only that but there is a rule against tampering with and shaming individuals unfit for combat. This means that while they encourage teams to engage in battle they don't encourage bullying or continued physical abuse against one another. It also means that since fighting one team is enough for 10 gems it could automatically bring you up to 20 gems. But you would still be 4 gems short of the max so it still encourages you to search for hidden gems and not disregard the hunt. And even if you don't want to find hidden gems and battle another team for the remaining 4 gems you aren't allowed to take all of their gems if you max out. It's also possible that when you fight a team you won't be successful in recovering all 10 of their gems anyways. If I recall the Games were created by Karasuma-sensei correct? Heh...this sort of deeply thought out and intricate game play sounds exactly like something sensei would come up with."

Shikadai nodded in agreement. "My dad said that one of the purposes that Lord 6th designed the Games for is to give a proper stage and environment for shinobi to continue honing and testing their skills so they don't remain unpolished. It's a way to help shinobi gain proper experience without the need to kill each other. Anyways, I agree with what you said. Teams are probably usually encouraged to find 4 gems themselves and then engage in battle at least once for 10 gems totaling 24 gems off the bat and then they just have to wait out the 6 hours. Obviously this isn't the only combination to reach 24 gems and obviously the requirement isn't even a need to obtain 24 gems. It's just 14. But if any team wants a better chance at winning the competition then they will try their best to obtain as many gems as they possibly can. In the end if we can collect 24 gems with each gem being 5 points we can gain a total of 120 points."

Konohamaru nodded at everyone's analysis and took out the 10 gems given to them earlier on. "Alright, now let's decide who should hold onto the gems-kore."

Shikadai thought for a moment before suggesting, "How about this. Konohamaru-sensei, you hold onto 4 gems and the rest of us will hold onto 2 gems each. This way if something happens to you we'll still have our gems and if something happens to one of us we'll only lose a small portion of our gems. It won't hurt us that badly."

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was then every single team was called to step out from their designated area and into the field. After confirming the legitimacy of everyone's gems the start of the 2nd Game began. Konohamaru took the lead as Hiroshi and Shikadai ran in the middle whilst Zen brought up the rear in their formation. Immediately Hiroshi activated his Byakugan allowing him to easily scope out the area. As they continued to run and dash about Hiroshi smirked and pointed in the north east direction. "Over there I see a gem. It's 900 meters away. Surprisingly these gems are distanced quite a ways apart. I don't see another gem nearby for at least another 1.7 km in the distance west of our location."

Shikadai stared at Hiroshi in amazement. "Oi, Hiroshi, just how far can you see with your Byakugan anyways?"

Hiroshi smirked and proudly replied, "When I use my Byakugan I can naturally see everything within an 800 meter radius around me without having to focus. If I focus hard enough I can extend that range to 1.5 kilometers all around me. And if I truly focus in one direction at a time I can see up to 3 kilometers. Currently that's my limit. I need to train more. Compared to mom and aunt Hinata 3 kilometers is nothing."

Shikadai simply stared dumbfoundedly at Hiroshi's statement. In fact it wasn't just him. Even Konohamaru and Zen were a bit speechless at just how far Hiroshi could see. It wasn't long before they reached the site of the hidden gem. "Alright everyone be careful. It seems Zen was right when he said how it might not be so easy to obtain these gems. There's some sort of strange seal placed over it. I'm not really sure what it's for."

Zen frowned and asked, "Can you describe what it looks like?"

Hiroshi nodded and instead of describing it he grabbed a nearby rock and drew the picture of the seal on the ground. As Konohamaru and Zen took in the picture they both knew what it was immediately.

"It's a summoning seal trap." They both said at the same time. They then turned to look at each other a bit awkwardly as Konohamaru lightly rubbed the back of his neck and commented, "Hahaha...right, you probably learnt of seals from Lord 6th correct? Not bad."

Zen shook his head in response. "I'm alright with seals. I recognize it but I still have a long way to go before I can say I'm even proficient in Sealing Jutsu."

Hiroshi just scratched the side of his cheek as he interjected, "So...how do we disarm it?"

Konohamaru just shook his head. "They must have had a Sealing Ninjutsu master place the seal on. We have two options. Waste a lot of time to remove the seal, or just trigger the trap and deal with it hoping that it isn't anything too crazy-kore."

Shikadai just let out a sigh. "What a pain."

Hiroshi just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, then let's just spring the trap. If it's a summoning seal trap then it'll either be some sort of creature or wooden puppets like during the Chunin Exams."

Konohamaru nodded. "Are we all in agreement that we should spring the trap?"

Everyone nodded and quickly dashed back to distance themselves as Hiroshi placed his hands on the ground and created a wooden vine that dug up the gem. Instantly the disturbance of the gem's resting spot triggered the summoning trap as a bright light and a large puff of white smoke appeared where the gem was. As the smoke cleared it revealed a giant 14 meter tall gray and black snail. Konohamaru widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed, "A Tar Snail Summoning! Everyone get back!"

Immediately they all dashed further away as a giant black inky pool of tar oozed out from the snail's shell and filled the area around it. Hiroshi frowned at this new development. "What the hell is a Tar Snail? And what in the world is that black goo?"

As the four of them grouped back together Konohamaru narrowed his eyes in focus. "If you get trapped in that tar it'll be incredibly difficult to get out. It's super sticky. On top of that it's flammable. One lick of flame and it'll set the whole thing on fire. Worst, the Tar Snail is resistant to most flames. Normal Fire Ninjutsu won't do anything to it."

Zen activated his Sharingan and observed the Tar Snail and took note of the gem embedded on the back of the shell. "The gem. There seems to be some sort of chakra that is being infused through it. It's probably what's keeping the snail summoned. If we remove it the snail should disappear."

Shikadai furrowed his brow in contemplation. "Easier said than done. How do we get close enough to it?"

Zen stood up and took out several kunai as he prepared to engage the snail. "Konohamaru-sensei, how fast are Tar Snails?"

"Errr...not very fast. Their strength lies in their unique tar property. Why?"

Zen then pointed to Shikadai. "Then it should be relatively easy for you to restrain it with your Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. Hiroshi can guard you from any projectile attacks it uses and once you're close enough you can restrict its movements. After that it'll be safe to dislodge the gem, which I'll do."

Konohamaru pointed to himself a bit lost and asked, "That's a good plan. But...what about me-kore?"

The three Chunin simply stared at Konohamaru and thought for a moment before they all said at the same time, "Keep a lookout."

Konohamaru felt his soul leave his body at the blunt response his team gave him. Just as Shikadai and Hiroshi approached within 20 meters of the snail it took notice of their presence and spat giant tar bullets right at them. Hiroshi widened his eyes in shock at the speed of the Tar Snail's attack and quickly shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Wall Jutsu!" Immediately a thick giant wooden wall appeared in front of them intercepting the tar bullets successfully. With Hiroshi's Byakugan he easily continued to monitor the snail and their own position as he controlled the wooden wall to shift forward ever so slowly acting as their shield. Just as they were close enough for Shikadai to use his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu Hiroshi widened his eyes in shock once more. This time in a bit of panic as he quickly grabbed Shikadai and dashed back as far as he could just before his entire wooden wall and the ground beneath them burst into a giant hole with gooey black tar leaking from it.

"What the hell just happened?" Shikadai exclaimed.

Hiroshi could only frown and shake his head. "That thing must have sensed something was wrong so it used its tar to dig under the ground and erupt beneath us. If I didn't have my Byakugan active we would have been toast."

It was then a hailstorm of black tar began raining from the sky right towards them. Hiroshi quickly placed his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" Instantly several giant wooden domes covered not only him and Shikadai, but also Konohamaru and Zen protecting them all from the thick gooey substance.

"Any plan B?!" Konohamaru shouted through his wooden dome.

Zen frowned at their current predicament.

_Guess I have no choice. I'll have to reveal my Kekkei Genkai early. _

"Hiroshi, tell me the snail's current position from my position."

Hiroshi raised his eyebrow curiously at Zen's comment but quickly said, "5 meters west, 28 meters north."

Immediately Zen placed his hands together and 7 brilliant flames of different colored lights floated around his wooden dome. He then focused 5 meters west and 28 meters north as he formed the sign of Dragon, Bird, and Ram before saying, "Ghost Flame Style: Blue Fire Scorching Heat." The shining blue fire floating around the wooden dome immediately flickered and condensed into an orb of pure heat before it shot through the air as a giant flamethrower right at the Tar Snail. The snail responded by blasting out a stream of its murky black tar from its mouth. The clash between blue fire and black tar caused black smoke to rise in the air. The fumes created from the collision were less than pleasant, however the blue fire began to easily overpower the tar from the snail. The heat created from the blue flames were so hot that even though it wasn't touching the pool of tar on the ground it was still lit aflame. The tar snail screeched in agony as blue fire wreathed its body. Even though it was resistant to most flames it couldn't bear the intensity of the blue fire and instantly disappeared in a puff of smoke. As Zen heard the screech of the snail come to a halt he knew that it had disappeared so he did all he could to focus on the blue fire that still burned through the area and forced it all to dissipate and vanish.

Hiroshi was the only one on their team who saw everything happen and his only expression was his jaw dropping to the ground with his eyes wide open in shock. He slowly released everyone's wooden dome but his expression remained the same. Completely dumbfounded and astonished. Shikadai and Konohamaru could only look at everyone completely confused as they had no idea what transpired. It was Hiroshi who came back to his senses and asked, "Z-Zen?! What in the world was that?! It was awesome! How come you didn't tell us you had such an amazing power?"

Zen took a few deep breaths to steady his mind. "I didn't want to use this power if possible. I've been training with sensei but it still currently takes a lot of my focus to use this power at full force like that. I can manage a few shots here and there, but to ensure the defeat of something as large as that snail it takes a lot out of me. Plus it's easier if I can visually see my target. I haven't gotten to the part of my training with sensei yet where I can efficiently use this Jutsu without sight."

Konohamaru was about to walk over to where the gem had fallen but quickly stopped in his tracks as the heat of the ground and the area surrounding it was so incredibly hot that he would get burned just by entering the vicinity. "What in the world kind of Jutsu was it? It's so hot I can't even walk by the area."

Hiroshi quickly utilized his Wood Style to collect the gem and formed a wooden box to hold it until the gem cooled down. "Don't worry about Zen's Jutsu Konohamaru-sensei. We have something else to worry about right now."

"Eh? Like what?"

Hiroshi turned serious as he pointed in their 7 o'clock direction. "Sunagakure's second team is 70 meters and closing." And as Hiroshi stated in but mere moments four shinobi of Sunagakure stood before them. Their lead Jonin was named Matsuri as she greeted, "Hello. From the looks of it you're all Leaf shinobi. If I'm not mistaken you're the Jonin-sensei Konohamaru. Grandson of the Third Hokage. The three Chunins on your team are Hiroshi, the son of the 6th Hokage, Shikadai, son of the Hokage's advisor and user of the Nara clan's Secret Shadow Possession Jutsu, and the last member on your team is Zen. He's a bit of a mystery."

Konohamaru smirked and stood in front of Zen and the others as he also greeted. "You're right. I see you did your homework-kore. I also know about you. You're Matsuri. You were once tutored by the 5th Kazekage many years ago and specialize in the Johyo weapon. The three Chunins on your team are Ren, Han, and Sylo, who happens to be a user of the Magnet Style that specializes in magnetizing metal weapons for combat."

A palpable tension filled the area between both sides before the stare off was broken from several kunai flying through the air straight at Konohamaru magnetically controlled by Sylo, however Hiroshi already took note of the magnetic kunai thanks to his Byakugan and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Cling! Clank! Ting! Tink! Cling!

Sylo frowned and praised, "Not bad. Since you know I magnetize metal you used a technique that doesn't involve metal to defend against my attack."

Soon after a battle commenced between them. Ren immediately utilized a Lightning Ninjutsu technique to coat all of Sylo's metal kunai giving them more power as Matsuri pulled out her Johyo, a long wire weapon with a sharp metal point coated in poison at the tip and began her assault against Konohamaru. Han dashed straight for Shikadai and Zen as he quickly formed some hand signs. Instantly the area around them began to twist and warp becoming distorted. Zen simply disregarded Han's attempt to trap him and Shikadai in a Genjutsu as he formed a single hand sign causing the area around them to return to reality, however Han immediately widened his eyes in shock as he started seeing the area twist and distort around him instead. He tripped and fell over a rock, but in actuality he tripped over nothing but air as his mind began playing tricks on him. As Han lay on the ground he clutched his head and felt as if he was drunk or on drugs. He couldn't think straight nor could he see straight.

_How did he do it? In a mere instant he easily reversed my Genjutsu and even made it stronger! _

Han placed his hands together and attempted to break free from the Genjutsu, however he felt his entire body stiffen up and become restrained. At that moment Shikadai smirked in triumph as he held Han in a Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. "Heh. Nice try, but trying to use Genjutsu against Zen was a bad move."

Sylo took note of what happened to Han as he was also trying to support Matsuri, but because of Hiroshi's ferocious attacks he couldn't lend his aid even if he wanted to. Ren dashed over to Han as Sylo aimed all 20 of his lightning infused kunai straight at Hiroshi. Hiroshi simply smirked and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Bam!

Instantly all the kunai were deflected except for one which Hiroshi purposely let inside. He quickly formed the hand signs of Rat, Boar, and Snake and grabbed the kunai holding it for but a mere moment before tossing it right back at Sylo who stared confusedly at Hiroshi and easily controlled his kunai to stop right beside him. "Why the hell would you want to let one of my kunai into your defense and then grab it? You must be a fool. Now my magnetic chakra is attached to your hand. I won't miss my next attack."

Hiroshi simply smirked. "Oops! My mistake!"

It was then that the kunai Hiroshi had touched exploded right by Sylo's shoulder causing him to scream in shock and pain as the recoil of the explosion sent his body crashing right into the ground. Hiroshi easily trapped Sylo in his Wood Snake Jutsu and suppressed his chakra as he walked over. "Just kidding."

Sylo glared at Hiroshi in shock. "What the hell did you do?"

"Heh. New trick I learned after training with dad. Explosion Style: Time Bomb Jutsu."

Matsuri who was still engaged in a fierce battle against Konohamaru widened her eyes in complete shock.

_No way? Just how many tricks and skills do they have up their sleeves? Genjutsu reversal? Shadow Paralysis! Byakugan, Wood Style, and Explosion Style? Impossible! Sylo's down for the count. So is Han. Eh? And now Ren as well? This isn't good. _

Matsuri was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Konohamaru shout, "You're too distracted-kore!" It was then that all Matsuri saw was darkness as Konohamaru knocked her out. He let out a breath of relief as he retrieved 12 gems from Matsuri.

"Well, it looks like they found two gems before confronting us. Including the one we found that makes 23 gems. We're shy just 1 for maxing out."

Hiroshi nodded as he looked to Sylo who was the only conscious one left on the opposing team's side. "So...what should we do with them?"

Konohamaru just let out a sigh. "Let's go. We can leave them as is. There's still 4 more hours left before the end of the competition. Besides, remember the rule? I think we can safely say they are currently unfit for battle so there's no need to do anything more-kore. We have the gems we need and this is a competition after all. Not a death match. They might be able to regain consciousness later and find more gems to remain in the competition."

Hiroshi, Shikadai, and Zen nodded in agreement as Hiroshi released Sylo from his wooden snake. "Welp, guess I'll just let you go. Better tend to your teammates. Thanks for the gems guys, see-ya!"

With that the four of them dashed off leaving a very unsatisfied Sylo behind.

In the four hours they had left they managed to find another hidden gem thanks to Hiroshi's Byakugan. That time the trap that was set up was much easier to deal with than the Tar Snail from earlier. With that they had capped at the max amount of gems and decided to do their best to hide and avoid conflict as they weren't allowed to seek battle from others. With Hiroshi utilizing his Byakugan every half-hour they were able to easily continue avoiding unnecessary encounters with other teams. While they couldn't begin a fight, that didn't mean other teams couldn't chase after them forcing them to defend themselves. Since they maxed out they wouldn't be allowed to take any gems from a fight anyways so a fight would only serve to be disadvantageous to them. After running and hiding for the rest of the 4 hours the Second Game finally came to a close. The results of the Second Game were soon broadcasted.

Konoha's team 1 obtained 20 gems.

Konoha's team 2 obtained 24 gems.

Iwa's team 1 obtained 24 gems.

Iwa's team 2 obtained 18 gems.

Iwa's team 3 was eliminated for insufficient gems.

Suna's team 1 obtained 24 gems.

To Konohamaru, Zen, Shikadai, and Hiroshi's surprise Suna's team 2, which they fought had actually managed to obtain 21 gems in the end.

Suna's team 3 was eliminated.

Kiri's team 1 obtained 24 gems.

Kiri's team 2 obtained 19 gems.

Kiri's team 3 was eliminated.

Kumo's team 1 obtained 24 gems.

Kumo's team 2 was eliminated.

Ame's team 1 obtained 24 gems.

Ame's team 2 was eliminated.

Ame's team 3 was also eliminated.

Hoshi's team 1 was eliminated.

And finally Ishi's team 1 was also eliminated.

After the results of the Second Game were posted the results of the overall total scores for each non-eliminated team was revealed.

Konoha's team 1 had 190 total points.

Konoha's team 2 with 300 points.

Iwa's team 1 had 300 points.

Iwa's team 2 had 90 points.

Suna's team 1 had 300 points.

Suna's team 2 had 165 points.

Kiri's team 1 had 300 points.

Kiri's team 2 had 95 points.

Kumo's team 1 had 300 points.

And finally Ame's team 1 had 300 points.

All in all a total of 10 teams were advancing to the Third Game. All teams had currently dispersed to do their own things afterwards. Some decided to go relax, others left to join the festivities, and others decided to drown away their sorrows with the results they'd gotten indulging themselves in their own guilty pleasures whether that be drinking, gambling, eating, or something else. The Five Kage had left the area as well after the Second Game ended and were currently seated in a private room within the Tsuchikage's building as Izaya stood before them narrating what had occurred the night before.

Kurostuchi frowned after Izaya finished his recounting of the event. "Tch...to think that something like that happened here in Iwagakure! And it had to be during the Five Great Games competition as well. What do you think Chojuro? Kai was a shinobi from your village right?"

Chojuro furrowed his brow in seriousness. "I had no idea that Kai was working behind the scenes like this. Kai's position within Kirigakure wasn't terribly high, however he was still someone notable who fought in the war. He was a platoon leader in the Second Division and after the war he had a stable position in Kirigakure with a rank of lieutenant in our military division. I don't recall anyone reporting Kai doing anything suspicious...but...one of his duties was to make regular contact with the feudal lord of water. It's possible that Kai was one of the people in Kirigakure fueling the hardliners in our country with the idea of war and dealing certain illegal products. Whatever the case may be I'm also heavily concerned about how he died. Who were those two mysterious individuals who appeared that night?"

Izaya shook his head. "I don't know. I can say this though, whoever they were they weren't pushovers. In fact they were quite skilled. No...more than that. The Shurikenjutsu of that man in the red blindfold was easily one of the best I've ever witnessed. I dare say that even I couldn't have done a better job."

Everyone frowned at hearing Izaya's comment. Naruto let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is confusing. That man...he clearly attacked you but what was his aim? His goal? To kill you or Kai? And why did he leave you a clue? What is Kara?"

Izaya also let out a sigh as he took a seat. "I don't know. I'm just as confused. I believe the aim of those two individuals was to kill Kai before I could extract any information from him. It's because I believed their attack was completely aimed at me that I let my guard down and didn't defend Kai as well as I should have. I just don't know why they would leave me a note after with the word Kara. It's as if they wanted me to know something but didn't want me to know too much. One thing is for sure...we need to investigate and find any information we can about what Kara is."

Gaara closed his eyes in contemplation. "I agree that we should investigate this, however just the word Kara is very vague. Is it a code? The name of an organization? A password? A place? Location? Name of a person? Or is it perhaps a calling card? Something they leave behind at all crime scenes they commit?"

Darui rested the side of his head on his fist as he chimed in, "Well. One thing is for sure. We don't have enough information about them. Since that's the case there isn't really much of a use speculating. We need to do our own investigations, however I doubt we can just do them openly. The fact that the 6th Hokage has praised their skill means that they aren't going to be easy to deal with. I'm willing to bet that they are some sort of organization since there were two guys on the roof that night. There's got to be more of them. If we openly search they'll start to pick up on it too fast. Who knows what sort of crazy move they'll do. In fact since they left a note for the 6th Hokage it could be that they want us to make a move openly. Maybe that is what they are hoping for. If that happens what if they stir up public unrest and make this into a bigger deal than it was before."

Gaara nodded in agreement. "For now I think we should all try to investigate this in the shadows. Keep this information to ourselves. We should probably start with the underground that's been plaguing the world. Sending in undercover agents and what not. We shouldn't make any big moves until we have some sort of concrete information on what Kara is and who those two individuals are. If we make any big moves openly the worse case is that we may be played and drawn out into another war like Uchiha Obito did by declaring himself as Madara. If that happens the public might panic and this can all turn into chaos, especially if it blows up to be something more troublesome than it actually is."

Chojuro nodded. "Then we should leave it at that. Izaya has already drawn us a picture of the culprits. Interestingly enough one wears a mask and the other a blindfold. As for Kai, I'll deal with his body and perform a thorough investigation on him. I'll let you all know if I find anything useful. I'm sure that whoever these two individuals are they have probably left Iwagakure by now. Let's shelve this discussion until we find something. For now let's focus on the Games and ensure that nothing goes awry."

"Mn." They all nodded.

As the Kage's were having their private meeting the festival outside had become a bit chaotic. As the Tsuchikage's building was located near the center of the village the commotion happening outside hadn't yet reached them. By the village edge near the east gate of Iwagakure was a giant circular earthen wall erected by none other than Koen as he gritted his teeth and dodged to his left avoiding a fearsome strike from Chocho. Iraia also performed a backflip avoiding a deadly strike from an Iwagakure Genin.

_Tch. This is bad! What on earth happened? Inojin and Chocho came to Iwagakure to enjoy the festival and they were hanging out with Koen, Asuka, and I. The five of us roamed around, ate some food, and played some games. Then Chocho decided to enter a food eating competition so the four of us watched on the side to support her. There were 20 contestants in total. As the contest went on eventually it was down to just 10 contestants. Chocho was one of the 10. Everything seemed fine until right after the 10 contestants began eating the hamburgers in front of them. After a few bites all of a sudden they sprouted a red chakra cloak and got super strong. They even sprouted chakra tails! 5 contestants sprouted one tails and 4 contestants sprouted two tails! But Chocho sprouted a total of three tails! Her physical capabilities and speed are insane! Not only did they all sprout a chakra cloak and chakra tails but they aren't in their right minds. It's as if they've gone rabid! Don't tell me someone poisoned their food? Thanks to Inojin he's helping keep the civilians away and Koen created this earth wall to seal in the 10 transformed contestants so they won't see and attack the civilians on the other side. Then he, Asuka, and I are trying our best to subdue them, but it's tough with 10 of them running wild. _

Iraia was snapped out of her thoughts as she dodged Chocho's Human Boulder Jutsu that was aimed at her. She then spun halfway to her left avoiding an attack from behind her.

_It's a good thing I have my Byakugan and Sharingan activated. They're fast but not so fast that I can't follow their movements. Papa's training has paid off. Their speed is nothing compared to his. But what what are we supposed to do... _

Fwish! Bang! Whoosh! Boom!

As Iraia, Koen, and Asuka dashed around in the enclosed area they began feeling the pressure weigh them down. Koen frowned and clicked his tongue in annoyance and frustration. "Damn it! If only they were actually enemies I would vaporize them. This would be so much easier!"

Iraia frowned at Koen's comment and scolded him. "Koen, stop complaining. Don't you dare use your Particle Style or you'll obliterate them. Chocho is my friend. And the rest of these guys aren't our enemies. We have to save them somehow."

Asuka easily dodged an attack thanks to her insane speed and chimed in, "And how do you suppose we do that? We can't just keep running around or we'll be done for. We should at least fight back. Knocking them out might work."

Iraia nodded in agreement. "Let's go with that. Koen, use your Earth Style to try and slow them down by creating a rougher terrain for them to move in. Asuka, try to keep them from swarming and grouping up to attack us. I'll try to block their chakra pathway system with my Taijutsu. It should be able to stop them and get rid of their chakra cloak."

"Alright let's do that!" Koen and Asuka shouted at the same time.

WHOOSH!

Immediately they put their plan into action. With Asuka's speed it was easy for her to draw in the attention of multiple enemies by closing the distance between them while safely avoiding lethal strikes. For Koen he easily created trenches and erected rocks making it harder for the enemies to move around. This made Iraia's job easier as she could quickly focus engaging one opponent at a time. She quickly utilized her Gentle Fist Taijutsu to seal off the tenketsu points of one transformed contestant after another.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

It wasn't long before only Five remained. They were the 4 contestants who sprouted two chakra tails and Chocho who sprouted three. They were much stronger and faster than the others. Just as one of them attacked with a punch Iraia sidestepped and countered with a palm thrust, however she was forced to dash out to her left before she could be struck from above by another contestant. It was then that Chocho utilized her Partial Expansion Jutsu to throw a powerful punch right at Iraia. Before it could hit Iraia, Asuka dashed in and pulled Iraia into the distance. Before they could get hit by another contestant Koen created a giant earthen wall blocking them off. The three of them regrouped together as they huffed and panted with extreme exhaustion.

Asuka clenched her fist as she gasped for air. "This...huff...is...huff...a bit insane...huff...fighting without trying to hurt them is a bit much don't you think?"

Koen nodded in agreement. "If we weren't trying to be so careful we wouldn't be in this situation. We can't keep on much longer. We're exhausting too much chakra with only defending."

Just then the three of them widened their eyes in shock as a red chakra arm erupted beneath them. Their bodies involuntarily acted by dashing away to avoid the blow, however that action left the three of them exposed. Immediately Asuka and Koen gritted their teeth realizing their mistake. They curled up their body's defensively just as they were both hit extremely hard by a chakra tail from two of the transformed contestants.

Iraia saw the attack aimed against her because of her Byakugan so she was better prepared. She quickly spun her body and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Bam!

The contestant that attacked her was instantly knocked away, however Chocho utilized her Human Boulder Jutsu and rammed right into Iraia's spinning shield. In Chocho's physically enhanced state her attack overpowered Iraia's defense and smashed right into her. Iraia only had enough time to cross her arms before her chest before she was flung through the air crashing into the earthen wall in the distance.

"Kuuuuh!" She gasped out in pain.

Just as Chocho was about to strike once more a loud voice echoed in the air. "Lightning Style: Thunder Needle Jutsu!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In mere moments several thin lightning needles struck Chocho's tenketsus instantly sealing off her flow of chakra and dispelling the chakra cloak around her. She then fell to the ground paralyzed and unable to move. A single person dropped down from the air and landed right in front of Iraia at that moment. Iraia clutched her chest that was throbbing in pain from the impact of Chocho's attack while staring in astonishment at the person in front of her.

"M-Mom?!"

Hanabi simply smiled at Iraia's comment. "Sit tight for a moment Iraia. You kids did well. I'll take it from here."

It was then the last 4 contestants dashed right for Hanabi who quickly activated her Byakugan and engaged them in combat. She easily blocked and countered each attack with each of her strikes meeting their mark. In less than a minute of their exchange she had successfully sealed all the tenketsu points of the contestants dispelling their chakra cloak and knocking them out. Iraia simply stared in awe at how gracefully and easily Hanabi dealt with the issue. It wasn't long before news of this made it to the Kage's causing them to all rush over.

Izaya took note of Hanabi tending to Iraia, Koen, Asuka, and Chocho's wounds so he quickly dashed over to them. "Are you all okay?"

Hanabi smiled and nodded. "Don't worry Izaya. It was thanks to Iraia, Asuka, Koen, and Inojin that none of the civilians got injured. I already asked them about it. Apparently during the food eating contest Chocho and the other contestants were poisoned. Or rather their food had been doped in some sort of chakra enhancer. They sprouted chakra tails similar to the chakra cloak of the tailed beasts, however whatever drug it was caused them to not only gain enhanced physical strength, but it also caused them to lose control of their reasoning. Luckily Chocho seems okay as do the other contestants. It doesn't seem like it'll have a lasting effect on them, but what I can't understand is why something like this happened."

It was then a loud scream was heard in an alley not too far away. Izaya frowned and quickly said, "I'll be right back."

Hanabi nodded. "Go. It doesn't sound good. We'll be fine here."

Izaya quickly dashed off to where he heard the loud scream pushing his way through the crowd of people that were also heading in that direction. Just as he made it to the front of the crowd by the other Kage's he stopped and frowned at what he saw. The body of a dead corpse in the alley.

Gaara furrowed his brow in seriousness and asked, "Judging from the corpse he was killed not too long ago. I surmise that not even an hour has passed since his death."

Darui frowned. "Do any of you recognize this man?"

Chojuro nodded in response. "I do. That man is named Ogita. He's a famous business owner in the Land of Waves within the shipping industry. His company transports various goods all over the world. He does a lot of trade deals within Kirigakure as well."

Kurotsuchi clicked her tongue in frustration as she quickly commanded security to seal off the area. After the scene was secured the body was taken to the crime lab. The Kage's stood in a private interrogation room along with Iraia, Asuka, Koen, Inojin, and Chocho getting the full story directly from them. After hearing them out the Kage's paid a visit to the forensics lab to see if anything new was discovered. After several hours passed the six Kage's finally took a seat around Kurostuchi's office to relax and gather their thoughts.

Darui let out a loud sigh. "Haaaa...to think that someone would be so bold to commit a crime while the Five Kage were gathered in one area. Do you think this is a challenge to the Five Great Nations?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. This is unrelated. After all the information was gathered and the autopsy report came back I have a good idea of who did it."

The other Kage's including Izaya stared at Naruto curiously and asked, "Who?"

Naruto frowned and replied, "A mercenary and assassin organization called The Kaidan Killers."

Immediately the other Kage's widened their eyes in shock whilst Izaya raised his eyebrows in confusion and asked, "The Kaidan Killers? Who are they?"

At Izaya's question the rest of the Kage's simply stared a bit dumbfoundedly at him causing him to feel a bit awkward. "Err...I feel like I should know who they are if you all look at me like that."

Naruto laughed awkwardly and quickly chimed in, "Hahaha, right right. Sorry Izaya it's only natural you didn't know about them-dattebayo. You've been off-world and been busy doing other things so some of the issues we're facing aren't known to you. I didn't mention them since I haven't heard much about their activities for awhile. Anyways Sasuke told me about them. They are an incredibly dangerous mercenary organization. I don't know how many members are in their group or who their leader is. I only know that they are supposed to be extremely powerful. They work in the underground scene and are supposedly very difficult to contact. They are also supposedly very expensive to hire, but I hear they have yet to fail a single job they have taken. They kill, traffic illegal substances, things like that. They aren't ordinary. No one knows who their members are or what they look like. Currently their group is listed in the Bingo Book, but without any photo or much information to go on it's hard to pin them down. One strange thing is that according to the information we received from the police, Ogita was the one who bought Sasuke's sword during the auction for 60 million ryo, but according to them the sword is gone. Don't tell me they killed Ogita for the sword?"

Chojuro shook his head. "I highly doubt they killed Ogita for the sword. While not much is known about them, what we do know is that they only kill someone of Ogita's position and status for hire. Perhaps they stole the sword afterwards but it's not likely the motive for killing him."

Kurotsuchi nodded in agreement before rubbing the bottom of her chin in contemplation. "I wonder...what if the Kaidan Killers are related to the two mysterious individuals that killed Kai and attacked Izaya?"

Gaara furrowed his brow in deep thought. "It's not out of the realm of possibility. It could be that Kara is the name of a member in the Kaidan Killers. Still, it's too early to draw conclusions. With this incident happening it's going to cause people to be more uneasy now. We're going to have to make a statement to quell public unrest so the competition and festival can continue on without too much hindrance."

Kurotsuchi just let out a loud sigh. "And I suppose I'll have to be the one to make the announcement?"

Chojuro smirked. "You are the Tsuchikage after all and this is Iwagakure."

Naruto crossed his arms as he let out a sigh. "The Kaidan Killers, the incident with Kai and the mystery of Kara, it's starting to make me feel uneasy."

Izaya nodded in agreement. "After the Games we should hold a meeting at the ASF HQ. There we'll deliberate how we should move forward with all of this. We have a lead and that's Ogita's death. Furthermore there was the incident of chakra doping during the food competition. I'm willing to bet that it was the work of the Kaidan Killers. They operate in the underground scene so that's probably how they got their hands on it. They used that as a distraction so they could easily draw attention away from their movements to kill Ogita. We can use this to our advantage and create a team to crack down on this criminal organization."

"Mn." All the other Kage's nodded in agreement before disbanding. Kurotsuchi released a statement to the public and it wasn't long before the festivities resumed as normal. Although a slight tension remained in the air from the incident that occurred it wasn't enough to prevent the celebrations from continuing.


	16. Third, Fourth, and Fifth Games Begin!

**AN: Hey everyone hope you're all doing well. I've been attempting my hand at a Reincarnated Bleach story. Don't know if any of you would be interested in it but I thought I'd let you all know anyways. **

**Please don't berate me for the name of the title. I know. I suck at naming titles, but at the very least it's straight forward...**

**Bleach Story: "Reincarnated Into the World of Bleach" **

**Yes...I know...you all can make fun of me for the unoriginality of the title name...3...2...1...okay I'm over it. And there you have it. As always, thanks for reading! **

**Bleach MC: Chigetsu Kishin  
First Name: Kishin  
****Last Name: Chigetsu**

* * *

Chapter 16

The fourth day of the Five Great Games arrived as all participants were currently waiting in their respective rooms. The stage for the Third Game, Synergy, was taking place in a large arena as the announcer on stage continued his greetings and introductions to the crowd. He then began to give a quick explanation of the Game.

"Now then ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, allow me to explain to you how the Third Game works. It's truly quite simple. It will be a team elimination match. Essentially it is a team battle that will showcase just how well teams work together in combat hence the name of the Game, Synergy. Each team match will have a time limit of 1 hour. The referee will decide when one team is unable to continue the match. If time runs out and neither team has been defeated then the referee's will review the match and victory will be granted to the team that showed the greatest teamwork. The losing team will be eliminated. If there is still time on the clock after the match is over then the winning team will gain 5 points for every minute that is still left on the clock. Seconds on the clock do not count towards points. Without further ado, let the Games...Begin!"

The crowd cheered on as loud chants and screams could be heard filling the entire arena stadium. The first to be called to the arena were Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai. As they walked out on the grand arena stadium they felt the loud noises and shouts and screams reverberate all over their body.

Shikadai sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as he commented, "What a huge crowd...man what a pain."

Hiroshi simply grinned and smacked him on the back. "Come on Shikadai. Loosen up a little. You're being broadcasted live on TV right now. I know your dad can't be here since he's running things back in Konoha but I bet you he's watching on screen."

Shikadai felt even more embarrassed and nervous. "How does that help me calm down? But crap...you're probably right. Dad's probably watching us right now."

It was then that the announcer called the opposing team to the arena. "Now facing team 2 from Konohagakure will be team 1 from Kumogakure! Welcome to the arena Kumogakure's Jonin leader Omoi along with the three Chunin members Isen, Roma, and Tenji!"

As Omoi and his team walked out onto the arena the crowd once again went wild with cheers and shouts. Soon both teams stood facing one another as a palpable tension filled the air. The 1 hour time limit appeared on the screen and the crowd went silent as they watched in great anticipation. One second passed. Then another and another until finally, the clock let out a single loud noise signaling the start of the battle.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Instantly both sides dashed towards the middle in an epic clash of close quarter combat.

Ting! Cling! Ting! Clank! Zing!

The sound of metal hitting metal rung loud and clear across the stadium as dozens of kunai and shuriken flew through the air in opposition whilst amid a flurry of Taijutsu exchange. Neither side seemed to gain the upper hand in the initial clash, however that clash was all it took for both teams to understand the relative strength of their opponents. Just as both sides disengaged from one another Zen placed his hands in the Tiger sign and shouted, "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

At the same time Konohamaru placed his hands together and shouted, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet Jutsu!"

Immediately a large fireball in the shape of a dragon's head flew through the air with incredible speed from Zen's mouth as Konohamaru spewed forth a large elongated fiery dragon from his mouth. Omoi and Isen were forced to jump to their left while Roma and Tenji were forced to doge to the right in order to avoid being hit by Zen's incredibly fast Fire Ninjutsu. This allowed Konohamaru to aim his Fire Ninjutsu right at Omoi and Isen who were now close to his vicinity. Before they could be caught in Konohamaru's attack, Isen formed her hand signs and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A giant veil of water appeared just in time to intercept Konohamaru's Fire Style creating a giant misty veil of white steam that surrounded them from the clash.

Hiroshi quickly placed his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Wall Jutsu!" A giant thick wooden wall quickly rose up from the ground right in the middle of the arena keeping Omoi and Isen on one side whilst keeping Roma and Tenji on the other, effectively splitting them up. Hiroshi then created a small tunnel in between his wood wall unbeknownst to the opposing team letting Shikadai dash inside. Konohamaru then quickly formed a Shadow Clone making it transform to look like Shikadai. Finally the white steam that was created from the fire and water clash from earlier dissipated letting Omoi and Isen see again. Konohamaru and his Shikadai Clone left to keep them preoccupied whilst Zen and Hiroshi dashed to the other side of the wall to face off against Tenji and Roma.

Tenji frowned at their predicament and placed his hands together shouting, "Storm Style: Laser Circus!" Immediately blinding streaks of incredibly fast piercing lightning beams shot straight for Zen and Hiroshi. Zen quickly placed his hands on the ground and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon!" Instantly a giant monstrous gate appeared on their half of the divided arena blocking all of the incoming lighting beams.

_Nice! It worked. This summoning is one of the greatest defensive techniques in my arsenal right now thanks to sensei letting me sign a contract with it as a gift for my promotion to Chunin. _

Zen then dispelled his summoning as he and Hiroshi engaged their opponents in hand to hand combat. Tenji and Roma greatly felt the pressure weigh down on their shoulders as they realized just how much Zen and Hiroshi had held back during their initial exchange from earlier. As the fight between them continued on the gap between not only the teamwork between Hiroshi and Zen, but the sheer individual skill level that they were at compared to Tenji and Roma began to show more and more. At that moment Zen formed the hand signs of Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Hare, and Tiger shouting, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Hiroshi also placed his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" As a barrage of flaming fireballs flew through the air and a bunch of wooden bushes, trees, and vines erupted beneath the ground, Tenji and Roma were left with only one path open to them. For some odd reason a path by the giant wooden wall Hiroshi created earlier was left untouched by their attack, but placed under the pressure of Hiroshi and Zen's fierce attacks they didn't have much time to think about it and their body just simply dashed in that direction to avoid being ensnared and hit, however Hiroshi smirked as he was monitoring everyone's position with his Byakugan. He immediately created a thin long opening along the bottom of his wooden wall. Shikadai who was currently hidden within the hollow wooden wall smirked as he knew that this meant Konohamaru, Zen, and Hiroshi had successfully lured Omoi, Isen, Tenji, and Roma near his position. He immediately formed the Hare hand sign and said, "Shadow Possession Field Jutsu."

Instantly, with Shikadai in the center, a large circular shadow spread out from beneath him and out onto the arena surface capturing everyone within its area of influence. Omoi, Isen, Tenji, and Roma didn't even have a chance to counter. Omoi gritted his teeth as he struggled to move but couldn't as he stared at Konohamaru and Shikadai questioningly.

"H-How? This is the Jutsu of the Nara clan but...how are we captured when he's right behind you?"

Konohamaru smirked as the Shikadai behind him disappeared. "The steam created from our clash of Fire and Water Jutsu prevented you from seeing me create this Shadow Clone and transforming it into Shikadai. Just as the steam dissipated you saw Zen and Hiroshi leave to the other side of the wall to engage your teammates Tenji and Roma. Since you accounted for all four of us you assumed we had just wanted to turn this into a two on two battle, however that was never our intention from the start. It's a team battle after all. We fight as one."

It was then that the wooden wall was dispelled revealing Shikadai inside as he smirked and said, "Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete."

The referee immediately declared Konohagakure's team 2 the victor. The clock stopped ticking and the crowd erupted in a frenzy of loud cheers. In the end the clock stopped at 26 minutes. It had only taken 34 minutes for them to defeat Kumogakure's team granting them a total of 130 points.

The matches that followed were between Konoha's team 1 vs. Iwa's team 1.

Iwa's team 2 vs. Suna's team 1.

Kiri's team 1 vs. Suna's team 2.

And Kiri's team 2 vs. Ame's team 1.

After one exciting battle followed by another the end of the Third Game, Synergy, finally came to a close. The overall final results of every passing team's score were broadcasted live across the world.

Suna's team 1 was currently in the lead with a total of 450 points followed by Konoha's team 2 with 430 points.

In third place currently was Iwa's team 1 with 420 points followed by Kiri's team 1 with 415 points.

And lastly Ame's team 1 held a solid 400 points.

After the Game the festivities continued and the day ended peacefully without any major incidents. The next morning marked the beginning of the 5th day of the Games and also the start of the Fourth Game, Skill. Just like the other day this Game was also held in the large arena stadium. While all participants were waiting in their rooms the announcer on stage gave the introductions to the Game.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, today marks the beginning of the Fourth Game, Skill! Yesterday you were able to witness the remarkable capabilities of each shinobi as a team, however today you will be able to witness the individual skills and abilities of Jonin and Chunin! Today's Game will consist of individual matches instead of team matches. The Jonins of each team will be placed in one bracket whilst the Chunins in another. And just like yesterday, should one lose in the match then they will be eliminated. This will not be a team elimination, but rather an individual elimination. Once again there will be a time limit of 1 hour. A victory will gain one a total of 25 points. Now because there are 5 teams remaining, by random two teams shall face off against one another whilst the other three teams will be placed in a three way match. Those placed in the three way match will have an extra 30 minutes added to their battle time for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Now without further ado, randomization, begin!"

Whoosh!

Instantly the random generator on the screen flashed by each of the team numbers for a good 10 seconds before the outcome was revealed.

Beep!

With that the teams facing off one another in the individual matches were shown. It would be Konoha's team 2 against Kiri's team 1 while in the three way match would be Iwa's team 1, Suna's team 1, and Ame's team 1.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it! The matchup's for the Fourth Game, Skill have been decided. Let the Game, begin!"

The first to battle were the Jonin leaders. Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai watched from within their room as Konohamaru stepped out onto the arena stage against his opponent, Kiri's Jonin leader named Saizo. Hiroshi curiously asked, "Hey, do you guys know anything about this Saizo?"

Zen nodded as he replied, "His skill lies in Kenjutsu, but he is also adept at Water Ninjutsu. While he does seem skillful I don't believe he'll give Konohamaru-sensei too much trouble."

Shikadai nodded in agreement. "Zen's right. When I watched the matches that Kirigakure was in the Jonin leader Saizo didn't give me an impression that he was stronger than Konohamaru-sensei. His skill with the sword is greater, but Ninjutsu-wise I think Konohamaru has him beat. On top of that Konohamaru-sensei has that Summoning Monkey that can transform into a staff. He still hasn't used it yet. So if we talk about weapon handling then Konohamaru-sensei has his own specialty."

Just as they predicted with just about half an hour left on the clock Konohamaru claimed his victory gaining their team a total of 25 points whilst Saizo was eliminated. The next match was a three way battle between the Jonins of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure. Suna's Jonin leader was the Taijutsu specialist Shira. Iwa's Jonin leader was Akatsuchi and Ame's Jonin leader was named Zeshin.

As Hiroshi, Shikadai, Zen, and a now returned Konohamaru watched the match they couldn't help but think the same thing.

_Suna's Jonin leader Shira is strong! His Taijutsu is definitely no worse than Rock Lee's. _

After approximately 55 minutes into the match Shira was declared the victor gaining Suna's team 1 a total of 25 points. The matches then turned over to the Chunin individual battles as the announcer shouted in excitement, "Now let us welcome to the stage Konoha's team 2 Nara Shikadai and his opponent, Kiri's team 1 Hozuki Shingetsu!"

The crowd once again began to cheer in excitement as the two young shinobi appeared on stage. As Shikadai stood on his side of the arena field he took a moment to take in the appearance of Shingetsu. He took note of Shingetsu's shoulder length white colored hair that was tied in a low ponytail behind him. His hair had a faint tint of red to it. He had crimson eyes and pointed shark-like teeth. Shingetsu wore a sleeveless navy blue colored shirt with white colored pants and donned a navy blue colored belt on his waist. Attached to his belt was a white colored water bottle and on his back hung a giant buster great blade. Shikadai noted that Shingetsu was probably a year older than he was. He was tall as well. At least taller than he was. After finishing his observation Shikadai couldn't help but feel a formless pressure weighing down on him and immediately knew that his opponent was incredibly powerful. Unfortunately he didn't have anymore time to contemplate as the timer began its countdown signaling the start of the match.

He instantly activated his Shadow Possession Jutsu creating a dark shadowy line that stretched across the arena towards Shingetsu who simply stretched out his hand in the shape of a gun and said, "Water Gun."

Shikadai widened his eyes in shock as he saw a water droplet form on the tip of Shingetsu's pointer finger before shooting straight at him with an incredible speed. Shikadai instantly stopped his Jutsu and leaned to the side dodging the attack, however he took note that although the water droplet was small it contained a frightening amount of piercing power. He didn't have any time to think as he heard Shingetsu shout, "Water Style: Water Gatling Gun Jutsu!"

Shikadai ran dodging left and right hoping to make Shingetsu's attack harder to aim at him as a barrage of powerful water droplets shot out from Shingetsu's right hand. Shikadai gritted his teeth knowing he was in a tough spot.

_Damn it! He obviously watched our match and knows that I use the Shadow Possession Jutsu and in order for it to work I have to be still. If he just attacks from afar then I stand no chance in catching him. _

He was snapped out of his thoughts as his right leg was pierced through by a water droplet.

"GAH!" Shikadai gasped in pain. He immediately knelt to the ground and threw out a kunai attached paper bomb towards the rest of the incoming water droplets.

Boom!

The force of the explosion was enough to disperse the rest of the attack.

_Tch. Now I wish I asked my mom to teach me more of her Wind Style Jutsu. That would be incredibly helpful right now._

Just as Shikadai was going to try a different tactic he froze as he felt the cool edge of Shingetsu's giant blade resting by his neck.

"It's a shame you were the one chosen to fight me. I admire your skills and intelligence, however an open battlefield like this one is disadvantageous to you."

Shikadai let out a sigh as he continued clutching his right leg that was pierced through and replied, "Heh. Even if it wasn't an open field terrain there's no telling if I would have won. You're strong. I could tell that much. I concede."

Shingetsu smirked amusedly and nodded accepting Shikadai's verbal declaration of defeat and strapped his giant sword back behind him ending the match. A medical unit immediately rushed out to tend to Shikadai's wound as Hiroshi, Zen, and Konohamaru ran over to the nearby medical wing to console him.

"Shikadai! Shikadai, are you alright?" Hiroshi asked concernedly.

He just let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah. It's not a terrible wound. I'm sorry guys. I lost."

Hiroshi smirked and patted his shoulder. "Don't sweat it. We don't care about that. I'm just glad you're alright. It couldn't be helped. That guy Shingetsu was crazy good. You just relax now and leave the rest to us."

Shikadai smirked at Hiroshi's words and nodded. "Alright. Then I'll do just that. Go get'em!"

"Mn." Zen and Hiroshi nodded in response.

The next to be called onto the arena was Zen and the opponent he would face was named Reya. As they both stood there on the stage Reya couldn't help herself from ogling Zen a little as she asked, "Ahem...your name is Zen right? You wouldn't happen to be single would you?"

At hearing Reya's question the image of Iraia flashed by Zen's mind so he responded, "Not interested."

Reya pouted. "So you're single then...how about we make a bet? If I win then you date me and if you win I'll give you a kiss on the cheek."

Zen could only feel a bit lost after he heard what the wager was.

_How in the world does that benefit me in anyway? What if Iraia gets the wrong idea? She's here watching the games right? Wait...I heard she's been spending time with Koen these past couple of days. D-Don't tell me that she likes him? Right...what if she doesn't even like me? And what am I even thinking. She's sensei's daughter! How would sensei see me? How could I do that to him? _

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the time began counting down at that moment. Reya smirked at Zen's lack of response to her wager.

_I'll take that as a yes then. The bet is on!_

She quickly unsheathed the katana on her waist and performed a horizontal slash, however she frowned as she noticed that Zen didn't even try to dodge. He simply stood there as his hand slightly twitched by his side. Then, her blade cut right through Zen's waist, however she widened her eyes in shock as Zen's body split right in half before turning into a dozen crows that flocked around her.

"G-Genjutsu? No, wait. Crow Clone?" Before she could formulate her next thought the crows flew straight down at her. She quickly shouted, "Release!" Instantly those crows flying towards her revealed their true nature as shuriken. She grasped her sword tightly and expertly swung deflecting and defending every strike.

"Heh. So you were crafty enough to somehow pull a Genjutsu and Crow Clone technique on me huh? Not bad not bad but you'll have to do better than that. You see, I'm also a Genjutsu speci-huh?" She couldn't finish her sentence because she felt herself sinking down into the ground. There was a giant tar pit right beneath her and it was pulling her in rapidly. She widened her eyes in shock since she didn't even notice when it appeared. Immediately she surmised that it was another Genjutsu, however she didn't know how Zen had pulled it off. She couldn't recall ever seeing Zen weave any hand signs. She quickly performed another Genjutsu release, however she was shocked at this very moment because it didn't work. The sinking tar hole continued to pull her in. At this point she was already neck deep and she panicked.

"AH! N-NOOOO! Stop! Please! Stop! Help! AAAHHHH-GGGHHHH…"

She had finally been completely consumed by the sinking tar hole. The entire audience in the stadium simply widened their eyes in shock and confusion as they didn't quite understand what had happened. At one moment Reya had unsheathed her sword and dashed at Zen, but before she even reached him she simply stopped dead in her tracks and stood completely still in the middle of the arena. They saw Zen weave some hand signs and then, in merely 5 minutes later they heard Reya scream for help before she collapsed completely unconscious on the floor of the arena. Zen simply heaved a sigh of relief.

_My apologies. I'll have you sleep for a bit. I can't accept a wager like the one you proposed where even if I win you'll give me a kiss. With you being unconscious and after experiencing my Genjutsu perhaps you'll just decide to leave me alone._

With that the referee declared Zen the victor. Zen returned to the medical ward where their team was now waiting so they could keep Shikadai company. Hiroshi quickly dashed up to him and praised, "T-That was awesome Zen! Is it me or is your Genjutsu getting stronger and stronger by the day?"

"Oh...that. I didn't want to accept her wager so I kind of overdid it a bit. As you know I was born with both Ninjutsu chakra and Senjutsu chakra. Instead of casting my Genjutsu with Ninjutsu chakra I infused my Senjutsu chakra instead to make my Jutsu even more powerful. Even a simple Genjutsu at that point would be much harder to break."

Hiroshi, Shikadai, and Konohamaru simply stared at Zen with a bit of shock.

"Y-You can do that?!" Konohamaru exclaimed incredulously.

Zen simply nodded. "I can. But don't tell anyone. This is a secret trump card of mine."

"No worries. We won't." They all said at once. It was finally Hiroshi's turn to be called up on stage as the opponent he was facing was Kagura. As they both stood on opposite ends of the arena face to face a feeling of nostalgia and respect filled the air between them.

"Hiroshi...It's good to see you again. I see that you made it to Chunin. Congratulations."

Hiroshi smirked and happily rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehhh, just luck just luck. Kagura, the last time we fought was in Kirigakure two years ago during our class field trip. Back then we only used wooden swords. I'm not holding back this time. Be prepared."

Kagura nodded and narrowed his eyes in focus. "Mn. I remember saying that if we were allowed to use Ninjutsu back then then I might have lost. This time, let me witness your true strength!"

Beep!

The clock began its countdown signaling the start of the fight. Kagura instantly unsheathed his blade and dashed right at Hiroshi who activated both his Byakugan and Sharingan at once. Hiroshi then dashed around the outskirts of the arena as he formed the Ram and Snake sign shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" Instantly trees, vines, and bushes began rising from the arena floor hindering and slowing Kagura's movements.

Kagura furrowed his brow and fueled his Water nature into his blade as he shouted, "Kenjutsu: Water Style Crescent Moon Slash!" A large 3 meter horizontal sharp watery slash flew through the air slicing through any obstacle in its way as if it wasn't even there in the first place as it continued towards Hiroshi's direction. Just before the attack could hit Hiroshi quickly spun and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Wham!

Instantly the powerful spinning chakra shield destroyed Kagura's attack and at the same time, Hiroshi had formed the hand signs of Rat, Boar, and Snake before throwing out several kunai right at Kagura. Kagura simply took up a defensive sword stance and expertly deflected the first three kunai aimed at him off to the side, however once his blade made contact with the fourth kunai it exploded before Kagura could deflect it away. This not only shocked Kagura, but the force of the explosion also caused him to recoil and take a few steps back to the side in order to steady himself. It was then that Kagura realized the few steps he took to re-stabilize himself was a grave mistake as he had fallen into Hiroshi's trap, but it was too late. The kunai that he deflected earlier to his right side was now near him and exploded at that moment. The force of that explosion caused Kagura to fly uncontrollably to his left side through the air, but that only brought him closer to the kunai that he deflected to his left side earlier and it was then that that one exploded.

Boom!

Kagura was jostled through the air by the explosions. He had managed to come out of the attack without receiving any serious or heavy damage as the amount of explosive chakra that Hiroshi fueled inside the kunai weren't all too much, however it was enough to distract Kagura and buy Hiroshi time to control the wooden vines in the arena to wrap themselves around Kagura's limbs and restrain him. He then dashed forward and stood right in front of Kagura. Just as he was about to ask if Kagura would like to concede he widened his eyes in shock and dashed to his right as a sword stabbed right where he was standing before. The Kagura he had ensnared was a Water Clone as the real Kagura now stood before him, granted he looked worse for wear. Kagura panted heavily as his clothes were ripped and torn in multiple places and had remnant burn marks on them caused from the explosions earlier.

Hiroshi grinned and praised, "You're damn good to be able to catch me off guard by substituting yourself with a Water Clone while I have my Byakugan active. You did it last minute right before being ensnared and hid right behind your Water Clone to try and prevent me from noticing two chakra signatures. The one to your Clone, and your original self."

Kagura smiled and praised back. "Explosion Style on top of Wood Style huh? Then the Byakugan and now Sharingan. Honestly speaking with the way I am right now I don't think I stand much of a chance against you. There's only one surefire way I can beat you, and that's to wait it out until your Byakugan and Sharingan drain you of all your chakra." Kagura then smiled in defeat as he felt a kunai behind his back. "However...it appears that it won't be possible. To think that you'd also come up with a backup strategy just in case and actually substituted yourself for a Wood Clone while the actual you hid behind one of the trees in the arena. I've lost. You've truly impressed me Hiroshi."

Hiroshi simply grinned and put away his kunai as he and Kagura shook hands amiably. "Ah, I was just lucky this time. I had to show some results or I'd put the training my dad gave me to shame."

Kagura nodded and smiled back. "Looks like I need to train harder as well. The next time we meet Hiroshi may be when I officially wield Hiramekarei as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Mn. I'll be looking forward to that day."

With that the end of the match between Konoha's team 2 and Kiri's team 1 ended. The total points they accumulated were 75 from the Fourth Game whilst Kiri's team 1 gained 25 points from the win Shingetsu obtained against Shikadai. The three way battle between the other teams began soon after.

Kaito from Iwa, Leerin from Suna, and Zosa from Ame fought in the first round ending with Kaito's victory granting Iwa's team 1 with 25 points.

The next three way battle was between Isshin from Iwa, Enrai from Suna, and Kento from Ame ending with Kento's victory granting Ame's team 1 with 25 points.

And the last three way battle was between Genma from Iwa, Shinki from Suna, and Raima from Ame ending with Shinki's victory granting Suna's team 1 with 25 points.

All in all the total points that each team accumulated after the end of the Fourth Game was 505 points for Konoha's team 2.

440 points for Kiri's team 1.

445 points for Iwa's team 1.

500 points for Suna's team 1.

And 425 points for Ame's team 1.

Since the Fourth Game was a singles elimination round the individuals that weren't eliminated and allowed to continue to the Fifth Game were Konohamaru, Zen, and Hiroshi from Konoha's team 2.

Only Shingetsu from Kiri's team 1 made it through.

From Suna it was the Jonin leader Shira and Shinki.

From Iwa only Kaito passed.

And finally from Ame it was Kento who passed.

Currently Kaito, Koen, Kimimaro, Kurotsuchi, Asuka, Haku, Akane, Iraia, Hiroshi, Zen, Izaya, and Hanabi were seated along a large round table in a restaurant celebrating Kaito, Hiroshi, and Zen's victory in the Fourth Game. While everyone was busy discussing and eating doing their own things Koen grinned and passed some cooked meat over to Iraia as he said, "Here, have some of this. It's really really good!"

Iraia simply nodded and responded with a thanks, however Zen slightly flinched as he watched their interaction. An hour later into the feast and Zen couldn't bear to watch anymore so he silently excused himself and took a break as he left the room and stood outside on the restaurant balcony. Iraia took notice of Zen's strange behavior and raised her eyebrow in curiosity. She turned to her left and found that Asuka still hadn't returned from her trip to the bathroom so she made an excuse to go check up on Asuka. As she got up from the table and left the room she walked around the restaurant a bit looking for traces of Zen. As she was walking down the hallway and looked out the window she took note of Zen's presence outside on the balcony across the other side so she made her way over there. Just as she was about to turn the corner that led to the balcony she paused and waited as she saw Asuka walk to the balcony.

Zen took note of Asuka's presence but didn't say anything as he continued to look out towards the festival lights that glowed in the dark of night. It was then that he heard Asuka's voice. "What are you doing out here?"

Zen took in a deep breath before responding, "Nothing."

Asuka simply raised her eyebrow even more curiously now. "Oh? Nothing huh? Not even watching the festival lights below?"

Zen furrowed his brow at Asuka's teasing tone. "Is there something you need from me?"

Asuka simply shook her head. "Nope. I was just making my way back from the bathroom when I noticed you standing out here all alone."

"It was nice and quiet when I was alone."

"Heh. Is that your passive aggressive way of telling me to leave?"

"No. I was just making a comment."

Asuka smirked in amusement. "Noted. Congratulations on your victory. You won your match with no effort."

"Thanks." Zen replied bluntly.

"Hmmm...I recall that girl, Reya was it? She made you an offer right? A bet? That if she won you'd have to go out with her and if you won she'd give you a kiss. Not a bad offer if you ask me. So, did you go claim your prize yet?"

Zen frowned at Asuka's continued teasing and was just about to answer when he heard the footsteps of someone walking away in haste. He furrowed his brow and turned to look in the direction of the noise but felt his heart skip a beat as he took in the image Iraia's retreating form in the distance. His facial expression showed a hint of panic and Asuka didn't miss this fact. She tilted her head to the side in a bit of confusion and asked, "Errr...something wrong?"

Zen clenched his fist and let out a sigh in defeat. "I...I should probably go back." With that he quickly dashed off looking for Iraia leaving Asuka alone completely confused.

Iraia continued walking with great haste through the restaurant building feeling a bit bitter.

_Right. That girl Reya did make an offer like that to Zen. And it wasn't like Zen never agreed. He didn't actually turn her down. Does he like things like that? Why should I care anyways? I don't...hmpf. He can do whatever he wants. It has nothing to do with me...but...I thought that maybe we had a bit of a connection...maybe it was just me that felt like that. Haaaaaa...I should forget it. I don't even know why I feel upset over something like this. Zen is papa's disciple. We're just friends. That's all. Wait...are we even considered friends? I mean...Zen doesn't really say too much. But I guess I'm not one to talk. I don't say much either. Papa and mom always say communication is the most important thing in a relationship. In fact they say that it is the most important thing in general. In this regard...I think I should improve on it._

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she bumped into someone in the dark hallway.

"Ow." Just as she felt her body recoil and tip back she felt a strong hand grip her arm and pull her back upright. When she looked up to see who it was she felt her heart skip a beat and confusion was written on her face. "Z-Zen?"

Zen gave her an apologetic look as he replied, "Sorry if I startled you."

Iraia simply shook her head as she reigned in her emotions. "No...it's alright. What are you doing here? I thought you were on the balcony?"

Zen bit the bottom of his lips a bit in nervousness. "S-So it really was you by the balcony then."

Iraia noticed her mistake and looked away from him. "Ah...I mean...mn...I was just walking by."

"Then...did you hear what Asuka and I were talking about?"

Iraia quietly nodded her head.

Zen let out a soft sigh in defeat. "I...I wanted you to know that nothing happened with Reya. I haven't seen here since our fight. And I don't plan for anything to happen."

Iraia slightly flinched at Zen's statement.

_Nothing happened? Really? Wait...why is he even telling me this? And why does it make me slightly happy to hear that._

Zen noticed her continued silence so he felt even more anxious.

_Was it presumptuous of me to think that she cared about something like this? Right...what if she doesn't even care. Now she'll probably think that I'm weird or something for telling her that out of nowhere. _

As the two of them were lost in their own thoughts standing in awkward silence in the dark hallway of the restaurant the sound of someone's voice brought them back into reality.

"Ahem. Don't mean to interrupt or anything but this hallway seems a bit daft if one of you is planning to confess their love or something."

Immediately Iraia and Zen's face burned up in embarrassment for two seconds before they both quickly reigned in their emotions and turned to face the other party. Zen was a bit surprised at who it was. "You're Hozuki Shingetsu? The one who fought Shikadai." He then took note of the person standing next to Shingetsu and commented, "And if I'm not mistaken you're Karatachi Kagura. You fought Hiroshi."

Kagura nodded as Shingetsu continued, "So, what are you two lovebirds doing out here in the dark anyways? Not that I suspect you two of doing something shady or anything. I mean...c'mon, we're all still so young. You both might want to wait until you're a bit older to do any...funny business."

Iraia crossed her arms and replied indifferently, "Hmpf. We're just talking. That's all."

Shingetsu just snickered and laughed amusedly. "Since you didn't deny that you're a couple then I was spot on huh?!"

Iraia and Zen wanted to retort and say something but they found themselves in a difficult spot because they had the same thought at that moment.

_I-I don't really dislike the sound of that but-what do I reply with…_

Kagura noticed the difficult position Shingetsu put the two Konoha shinobi in so he quickly interjected, "Ahem! Shingetsu and I are here to meet with our teammates. We're having dinner on the 5th floor in a private room. Are you both here meeting with someone as well?"

Iraia and Zen inwardly breathed out a sigh of relief at Kagura's change in topic as Iraia responded. "We're here with our own party. We should probably head back. I hope you both enjoy your dinner." With that she walked off.

Shingetsu simply shrugged his shoulders in amusement before walking off himself leaving only Kagura and Zen. It was then that Kagura stood right by Zen and asked in a soft voice, "You like Iraia don't you?"

Zen slightly flinched at Kagura's straightforward question but he couldn't deny that Kagura was right. Kagura took note that while Zen didn't say anything he also didn't deny what he said so he let out a soft sigh and continued, "I see. Then I guess we'll be rivals."

Zen turned to look at Kagura seriously as Kagura simply said, "I like her too. So...good luck."

Zen frowned as he watched Kagura walk off into the distance.

_Tch. So that's how it is...I never knew I had so much competition. Fine. I was holding back before because Iraia was sensei's daughter but...forgive me sensei...you said that you hoped I would one day find someone I could give all my love to. I think that person could be Iraia. After all these years I finally found her again. The one person who I can forget all my pain around. I won't lose her this time._

He took a deep breath as a newfound determination reflected in his eyes and walked back to their room. He took note that Asuka had already returned from earlier and was seated on Iraia's left side so he quietly made his way over and took a seat on Iraia's right side. Asuka took note of this and inwardly snickered amusedly to herself.

_Oh? Hehehe...could it be...don't tell me...when he said that he was going back to the room and left the balcony he actually went to find Iraia. No wonder they both returned after I did. Does Zen like Iraia? Muahaha! Iraia I'm not letting you off the hook either. I'm definitely going to make you tell me what went down between you two. _

Asuka was snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Koen about to pass some more meat to Iraia so she smirked mischievously and took the plate of meat right from Koen's hands before Koen had the chance to say anything to Iraia.

"H-Hey! Asuka what ar-" Asuka quickly cut him off as she said, "Mmmm, this stuff is good! Thanks Koen! Oh, can you pass the sauce?"

Koen simply stared dumbfoundedly at Asuka, however she couldn't care less as she ate in silent amusement.

_Mhm. Don't say I'm not helping you both out Iraia...Zen…I can only do so much on my own. _

The rest of the dinner went smoothly for the most part. Koen ended up giving in to Asuka's antics and simply resigned himself to watching Zen and Iraia talk amiably and share plates of food. Kaito could only shake his head in amusement at everyone's silliness as he and Hiroshi simply enjoyed their food and conversations.

The next day early in the morning all the participants gathered at the designated location known as the Grave Canyon. It was so named because deadly wars were fought here in the ancient past and bones and fossils filled the gorge. Stone trees and rocky hills strewn about the area creating a rough terrain and several rivers flowed through the ground. Currently all participants were separated as they each followed an Iwagakure staff member to a different spot along the Grave Canyon. The announcer for the Fifth Game then began his greeting.

"Welcome everyone to the last and final Game of the Five Great Games competition! This Game is called, To Be Shinobi! It is so named because this is the final Game. And for all those to make it this far proves that they are truly someone who strives to be a great shinobi! To survive the First Game Unsealing of the Scrolls and show that they can strategize, plan, infiltrate, distract, deceive, and succeed in their goal. To survive the Second Game The Hidden Gems and show that they can track, find, hunt, defend, attack, and have within them the quality to show mercy to their opponents. To survive the Third Game Synergy and show that they can adjust their strength and battle styles and formulate strategies with others in a cohesive way. To survive the Fourth Game Skill and show that they, as an individual, have honed their abilities and their craft to incredibly high levels and have not neglected personal training. And now, finally, it is only right that all those remaining participating in the Fifth Game show us all what it is, To Be Shinobi."

The crowds all over the world watching the broadcast and all those seated outside of the Grave Canyon shouted in cheers and excitement for the final Game to begin. The announcer waited for the cheers to quiet down a bit before he continued, "Now everyone, allow me to give you all a quick explanation of the rules of the final Game. It is in essence a survival test. Every remaining participant will be entering the Grave Canyon in different areas. They each will be carrying a scroll. Every scroll they are able to acquire is worth 20 points. Obtaining the scroll of someone on your team does not count towards any points. Should one lose their scroll then they will automatically be eliminated. For every hour that an individual is able to remain within the Game they will gain 10 points. The Game will last for a total of 6 hours or until there is only 1 individual remaining. If there is only one individual remaining when the time of 6 hours comes to a close then that individual will be granted 100 extra points. Once the Game is over the total overall points of all the Games will be added and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place victors will be announced with the 1st place victors having their names recorded down in the Five Great Games Hall of Fame! Now, with all of that out of the way, let the Game...begin!"

The crowd once more cheered incredibly loudly with excitement as all the participants were now allowed to enter the Grave Canyon. The remaining participants included Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, Shira, Shinki, Shingetsu, Kaito, and Kento. As Hiroshi was running through the area observing the terrain of the Grave Canyon he took note of the many bones and fossils strewn about all over the ground, however he quickly felt something off and instantly jumped in the air dashing behind a giant boulder before he could get pierced by a bone spear. He smirked and quickly activated his Byakugan as he said, "Nice try Kaito! You almost got me! Your mistake was your disguise. You tried to mask yourself as one of the many bones and fossils around the area to catch people off guard right in the open, however your bone disguise was too new looking. You forgot to use the Transformation Jutsu to make it look more aged."

Kaito clicked his tongue and slowly walked towards Hiroshi's location as he replied, "You're still as observant as always Hiroshi. How about you come out fr-"

Before Kaito could finish his sentence he widened his eyes in shock and quickly dashed out to his left dodging an iron sand spear that was aimed right at him. He then turned to look where the attack came from and smirked. "Well...this is unexpected. So you're here too huh? Shinki."

At that moment Shinki appeared in the area as his iron sand floated around him. "Nicely dodged. Kaguya Kaito. I saw your battle in some of the earlier matches. You are definitely worthy for me to test my skills against." He then turned to look at Hiroshi who had now come out from his hiding spot behind the boulder and commented, "Hiroshi. You and I still have a score to settle. The match we fought last time back during the Chunin Exams were interrupted. I can't fathom how you had lost to Boruto."

Hiroshi simply let out a sigh and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Haha...let's not mention how I lost. It's embarrassing. Still...how am I so unlucky. Encountering Kaito and now you Shinki. You know not even 15 minutes has passed yet. We still have more than 5 hours to go. You both sure you want to do this now? I really feel this isn't going to be an easy fight."

Instead of giving Hiroshi an answer Shinki simply made his move and struck with an iron sand fist. Hiroshi immediately responded by creating a wooden golem fist and like deja vu during the Chunin Exams, they began a fierce boxing competition. Kaito decided he'd sit back and watch letting them both waste their chakra first, however he frowned and quickly shouted, "8 Extreme Fists, 7th Fist of Splitting!"

BAM! BAM!

He quickly knocked away a giant wood golem fist attack from Hiroshi and the iron sand fist from Shinki.

"Phew...I take it that you both won't let me sit this one out?"

Once again instead of anyone answering him they simply attacked. Kaito could only clench his teeth and their battle quickly turned into a three way boxing match. Shinki and his iron sand fists. Hiroshi and his wooden golem fists. And Kaito with his 8 Extreme Fists.


	17. End of the Five Great Games

**AN: Hey everyone hope you're all doing well. Now since I'm working on my Bleach story as well updates obviously won't be as fast as before. I'm still working on the story, I just like to be a few chapters ahead before I start posting again. As always, thanks for your continued support! **

* * *

Chapter 17

Zen walked around the Grave Canyon along the river as he took note that an hour had already passed.

_The Grave Canyon is big, but it's not so spacious that I wouldn't have run into anyone by now. Unless...everyone has already run into someone else and are currently engaged in a battle somewhere, all except me. Since an hour has passed by already everyone still in the Canyon should have automatically received 10 points...Five more hours to go. What are the chances that I'd get to meet up with Konohamaru and Hiroshi first? _

Zen stopped in his tracks as he took note of an individual who was currently washing their face by the stream up ahead. That individual also took note of Zen's presence at the same time and spoke in a calm and collected voice. "Oh? Now what are the chances that I'd actually run into two Leaf shinobi within an hour."

Zen furrowed his brow when he heard the comment and responded questioningly, but also calmly, "You're the Jonin leader of Sunagakure, Shira. Judging by your comment you've already engaged in battle against a Leaf shinobi. Either Hiroshi or Konohamaru-sensei. Can I assume that since you are here you defeated them?"

Shira stood up from his squatting position and shook his palms by his side letting the air dry his wet hands as he turned to face Zen. "It was your Jonin leader, Konohamaru. He was quite skilled. I'm sure it won't be too long before he's grown to a level beyond even me."

"I see...that still doesn't change the fact that Konohamaru-sensei was defeated by you in the end. That means you are currently stronger than him."

Shira didn't deny Zen's statement as he took a moment to gauge Zen's strength, however he could only narrow his eyes in a bit of confusement. "Hm...I'm usually pretty good at reading people's strengths, however you're a bit interesting. At times I feel like I can approximate your strength but in another moment it feels like your strength fluctuates. Well...I already fought a Konoha shinobi already. If you want, you may pass. I won't stop you."

A minute passed between them before Shira raised his eyebrow questioningly at the fact that Zen hadn't moved an inch.

"I take it that you wish to battle then?"

Zen activated his Sharingan at that moment, greatly shocking Shira as Zen answered him. "Since you took Konohamaru-sensei's scroll I shall reclaim it for him. Although I can't return it to him, in a way it shall avenge his defeat."

Shira grinned at Zen's words and got in a fighting stance. "Oh? You have spirit I'll give you that. If I recall your surname was Yagami. Not Uchiha, yet you possess the Sharingan. And your demeanor...your battle presence. It's quite dangerous. It feels almost as if I am standing along the edge of a knife and if I'm not careful...I'll get cut. At the same time it feels as if I am staring into a bottomless abyss. A mystery. The unknown. And if I lose my focus for but an instant, then I would have to pay the price dearly. That is the presence I feel from you at this moment. Although I watched some of your matches before I never got this feeling from you until now. I assume you're quite serious in this fight then."

Zen completely focused on Shira as he simply responded, "You were powerful enough to defeat two Jonin's in the three way battle of the Fourth Game, and in less than an hour of your encounter with Konohamaru-sensei you were able to defeat him. Unless I use all the skills, knowledge, wisdom, and tactics of battle I have accumulated and learned from my sensei, then I would be unable to defeat you."

Shira's expression became serious at Zen's words. "I take it that Konohamaru is not the one who taught you to be a shinobi then. Your presence in combat is much too different from his. Before our battle begins, will you tell me who trained you?"

"My teacher is Karasuma-sensei."

Shira's body slightly shook in shock as his heart skipped a beat with anticipation. "I see...I only know of one Konoha shinobi by the surname of Karasuma. So you are the disciple of the 6th Hokage. Then something tells me I shouldn't hold back."

BOOM!

In less than a second of Shira finishing his sentence he dashed straight at Zen with incredible speed and struck with his fist that held an incredible amount of force behind it. Before Shira's fist could make contact with Zen's chest Zen was able to shift his body just enough to avoid the punch, however Shira didn't let up on his attack and continued to strike, chop, punch, thrust, kick, sweep, grapple, and claw. Thanks to Zen's Sharingan and nimble movements he was able to follow, read, predict, and avoid every strike Shira performed.

_Impressive! No wonder Konohamaru-sensei lost. His Taijutsu movements are truly top tier and every one of his strikes contains a frightening amount of power. If I get struck by one of his attacks it'll greatly damage me and I'll be at a huge disadvantage, however, as fast as he is he still isn't on the level of sensei. My eyes can keep up with his movements. For now at least. During his match against the other Jonin leaders he used an ability called the 7 Heavenly Breaths that greatly increased his powers. It looked similar to the power granted by the 8 Inner Gates. If he uses that he'll be able to wear me down. To defeat a Taijutsu specialist I'll use my own specialty. Genjutsu! _

Whoosh!

Just as Zen dodged an axe kick to the head he shouted, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Dozens of flaming fireballs flew through the air right at Shira who dashed upwards to avoid being hit. At that moment Zen threw a shuriken in the air and quickly weaved the hand signs for the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu. Shira frowned at the dozens of incoming shuriken so he quickly took in a deep breath and shouted, "7 Heavenly Breaths, First Breath!"

Instantly his eyes turned white as a yellow aura surrounded his body. With his physical prowess enhanced Shira was able to quickly and easily knock away all of the shurikens aimed at him without a scratch. As he fell towards the ground where Zen was standing he shouted, "Second Breath!" Immediately every muscle in his body began to bulge as thick powerful veins appeared all over.

Zen frowned in seriousness, but just as he was about to dash back to dodge he was struck by Shira's karate chop. Shira's attacks had become even faster and more ferocious than before, however Shira frowned the instant his attack connected because Zen's body had quickly turned into a flock of crows right after.

"Crow Clone? Or Genjutsu? He uses this technique often to fake out his opponents."

Shira simply cycled another breath and shouted, "Third Breath!"

Bam!

The yellow aura around him spiked and became incredibly dense as Shira's entire body turned red in color. His every move exuded raw power. He then noticed Zen's figure in the distance preparing to weave some hand signs. He frowned and instantly dashed over with blinding fast speed not letting Zen finish weaving his signs. Zen was inwardly shocked and could only frown at how much more insanely powerful Shira had become after activating the Third Breath. Zen could only continue to dash around and dodge doing his best to avoid Shira's attacks, however, the one who was most shocked at the moment was Shira.

_What's going on? I've already activated the Third Breath. Even before I used my 7 Heavenly Breathing technique I was physically stronger and faster than him. He was nimble and agile and had great reflexive abilities but that shouldn't have been able to keep him in the fight this long. He should be incredibly tired by now. But even in my enhanced state I still can't hit him. Something's wrong. _

Shira immediately halted his steps and stopped attacking Zen as he said, "You've only been dodging all this time. I feel my chakra burning and raging. It's not disrupted. There's no indication that you were able to capture me in a Genjutsu. Furthermore in my enhanced state there's no way I shouldn't have been able to land a hit on you. What's your trick?"

Zen simply ignored Shira's question and confused look as he said, "Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon."

Shira narrowed his eyes in focus as he prepared to face Zen's technique, however he widened his eyes in great shock as the Zen he was staring at slowly blurred away and turned into a tree. It was then a giant, heavy, monstrous gate fell from the sky and smashed Shira's body into the ground.

BOOOOOOOM!

A giant crater was formed from the impact. Zen stood neatly atop the roof of the giant gate before dispelling it. In a puff of white smoke the gate disappeared causing Zen to fall down into the large crater where Shira was currently struggling to get into a crawling position. He huffed and puffed and panted heavily as he struggled to even get back on his knees. The force of the impact from a giant heavy gate falling down from the sky with great velocity was enough to render even him in his enhanced physical form to feel greatly damaged. His activated body from his technique was able to ensure his survival, but the blow was almost enough to send him out of commission. It was then he heard Zen's voice right behind him.

"As I thought. With my Sharingan I figured your technique had greatly activated your body's physical prowess on all levels. Even taking the force of the Rashomon wasn't enough to defeat you."

Shira clenched his fist and twisted his body around to face Zen throwing out the fastest punch he could muster and shouted, "It's not over yet!"

BANG!

Before Shira's fist could even make contact, Zen's body exploded sending Shira rolling through the air from the force of the blast and crashing into the wall of the crater they were in. At that point his 7 Heavenly Breaths technique wore off and he slowly faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing he saw was Zen standing before him as he let out his last words.

"Exploding...Shadow Clone...Jutsu...not bad…"

**888**

Currently all Five Kage's including Izaya were sitting in the tallest tower erected by the Grave Canyon watching the Game. They had just witnessed Zen's fight against Shira and it left them feeling a bit speechless. Kurotsuchi raised her eyebrow in a bit of confusion as she asked, "6th Hokage...Zen is your disciple correct? Explain what happened? How did Zen win? Why couldn't Shira hit him?"

Izaya smiled and inwardly gave his seal of approval at how Zen defeated Shira before he explained, "It's quite simple really. Before Shira used his 7 Heavenly Breaths his speed wasn't fast enough where Zen couldn't react and Shira knew this so he had to eventually use his special technique. When Zen used his Shadow Shuriken Jutsu he masked a Genjutsu along with it. He pulled off an extremely well done sleight of hand against Shira. To understand how he was able to do this you'll have to know a bit about him. Zen was born in the Sage continent and possesses half Senjutsu and half Ninjutsu chakra in him. I had him practice how to control and separate these two energies in his body at the same time keeping them both completely harmonized so he can learn to mold and use Jutsu. He developed a knack for finely controlling his own chakra this way. When he utilized the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu he had to quickly weave the signs of Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake, and Tiger. In those signs he masked his Genjutsu, the Crow Illusion: Susceptible Clone Jutsu. The signs for that Jutsu are Ox, Rat, and Snake. When his hands landed in those signs for the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu he also simultaneously infused some Yin nature for his Genjutsu. This is only possible for those who are well-versed in Genjutsu and are able to finely control their chakra. I taught him that to be a successful Genjutsu user he must always have multiple plans and strategies in place to capture a target in illusions. That he should use gestures to mask the true nature of his attacks."

"Shira was too focused on the Shurikens that he didn't even notice there was a split second where his chakra fluctuated. In his enhanced state where his chakra is burning strongly and brightly didn't help him catch the fact that he was affected by a Genjutsu. He thought that his raging chakra would help keep him unaffected, however that's quite the opposite. To release oneself from a Genjutsu they must first cease all flow of their chakra before flaring it up. Shira never did this. Anyways the fluctuation in his chakra from Zen's Genjutsu came and went too quickly. Most people, if they aren't experienced enough in fighting true Genjutsu masters wouldn't notice, so I don't blame Shira. After all, it's truly rare to find someone that can actually employ Genjutsu in battle to such an effect. Shira was caught off guard by this. Zen managed to replace his body with a crow clone and after it was destroyed the secondary effect of his Jutsu activated. The sight of the crows and the noises they made infiltrated Shira's mind making him less guarded against Zen's Yin chakra. To Shira it just seemed like the dispersal of the crow clone was a natural occurrence, however to one who truly wishes to master Genjutsu, any sight, sound, touch, feel, gesture, anything at all can become their doorway to ensnare their targets. It's all about catching your target off guard."

"After that Zen weaved the Ram sign before Shira dashed in to attack him activating his Third Breath. He wanted to prevent Zen from weaving anymore hand signs, but in truth the Ram hand sign was the only sign Zen wanted to weave as it activated his next technique, the Grand Illusion: False Play Jutsu. This Jutsu slowly disrupts a target's senses allowing Zen to falsely change the surroundings around them. It makes the target fall deeper and deeper into a Genjutsu. At first maybe a rock that was far away is made to look like it is closer than it was originally. The shadow of the tree becomes slightly longer than before. A breeze in the air that wasn't there before. The smell of flowers that wasn't in the air earlier. Slowly more and more things change. They begin small at first but soon become more and more pronounced. Before the target knows it they've been ensnared in a powerful Genjutsu trap. Zen's Susceptible Clone Genjutsu made it even easier to trap Shira in this technique and would make it even harder for Shira to release himself from the Genjutsu. The entire time he attacked Zen he could never land a single hit because the distance between them was actually further than he perceived it to be. That allowed Zen to gain victory."

Gaara let out a sigh after hearing Izaya's explanation. "I see. You trained your disciple well. To defeat Shira, your disciple is quite the formidable shinobi."

Izaya just smiled. "Well, it seems Zen still had it rough in that fight. Plus, I recall Shira is not skilled in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or any other forms of Shinobi battle except Taijutsu. If Shira had some sort of skill in utilizing Genjutsu then he may have been able to use his years of experience in battle and pair it along with his familiarity of using Genjutsu to realize what Zen was doing earlier."

Gaara shook his head. "Even so, your disciple was skilled enough where even I had trouble catching onto his trick. It's fine for you to feel a little pride in your disciple's display of prowess in front of us 6th Hokage. We won't take offense to it. Credit should be given where credit is due."

Izaya just grinned as he did feel a bit of pride at Zen's accomplishment.

**888**

As the Kage's continued conversing and watching the match, Zen had already taken Shira's scroll as well as Konohamaru's scroll that Shira had obtained from earlier and continued his trek along the river through the Canyon.

_So I have two scrolls now, but Konohamaru's scroll doesn't count towards points since we're on the same team. That means Shira's scroll counts as 20 points. Our battle ended up taking some time. Essentially I was able to gain victory over Shira just after 2 hours had passed. That means Shira was able to gain 20 points for Sunagakure's team for surviving 2 hours in the Canyon before I took his scroll. And although I now have Konohamaru's scroll the fact that Shira was able to obtain it first means that he's awarded 20 points for even having possession of it. All in all he was able to earn 40 points for Sunagakure. He was a tough opponent. _

Zen continued his walk for another 20 minutes before he stopped and looked out to an open rocky field from within the shadow of the stone forest. There he caught sight of Shingetsu defeating Kento from Amegakure before picking up his scroll.

_Shingetsu huh? I recall he was quite powerful. He never even gave Shikadai a chance to retaliate during their fight in the Fourth Game. He just obtained Kento's scroll so if I can take him down I'll be in possession of three scrolls. _

Zen took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles before walking out of the stone forest. His presence immediately caught the attention of Shingetsu who smirked and said, "Yo! If it isn't one of the hallway lovebirds."

Zen inwardly clicked his tongue in annoyance at Shingetsu's teasing words and continued walking towards him. He stopped 5 meters away as they both stood there in silence for a few moments gauging the other's strength. Shingetsu broke the silence as he gave a toothy grin. "Heh. Nice presence. I watched your fights before and I always wondered what it'd be like to fight you. Out of all the competitors you're the only one who makes me feel a bit wary."

Zen considered Shingetsu's words carefully before responding, "I know you're powerful as well. This fight won't be easy."

"Oh? You can tell that about me huh? I'm honored. Well then, guess there isn't a good way to start us off but to just go for it!"

Shingetsu immediately unsheathed his giant buster sword and dashed at Zen slicing horizontally at his waist. Zen quickly unsheathed his katana, gripping the hilt with both hands tightly blocking Shingetsu's attack. He then activated his Sharingan causing Shingetsu to frown and quickly turn his head to the side to avoid looking Zen in the eyes.

"You reacted very quickly by avoiding my gaze. Your battle experience is impressive."

Shingetsu simply smirked and disengaged from Zen before he placed his hands in the Horse sign and shouted, "Vapour Style: Solid Fog Jutsu!"

Zen widened his eyes in shock as a thick potent corrosive fog rushed through the air towards him. He quickly dashed backwards and shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A large stream of fire burst through the corrosive fog heading right towards Shingetsu who narrowed his eyes with a bit of excitement and anticipation as he shouted, "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" From his mouth he quickly expelled a pressurized stream of water to counter Zen's Fire Ninjutsu.

The collision created a large steam of white smoke as Shingetsu quickly followed up by weaving the signs of Ox, Snake, and Ram and shouted, "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" The area immediately began to fog up causing Zen to frown.

_Tch. Not bad. He's definitely showing that he doesn't lack battle experience. The moment he took notice of my Sharingan he avoided my gaze, disengaged from a close quarter combat, and used Jutsus that make it difficult for me to cast ocular Genjutsu. To think that he was also a Kekkei Genkai user, and it's of the Vapour Style. Furthermore, with my Sharingan I could tell he has large amounts of chakra. He possesses at least twice the amount of chakra I do. According to sensei my chakra reserves are greater than the average person my age. This guy Shingetsu looks like he's around my age as well yet he has twice the amount of chakra I possess. That's kind of insane. Then again his control over his chakra isn't as good as mine so I suppose we spend chakra at almost a similar rate. _

Zen focused his eyes all around him trying to discern where Shingetsu could be hiding within the mist.

_It'll be tough to find him in here so I'll just have him expose himself._

Zen quickly formed the signs of Bird, Boar, Ox, Rat, Dog, and Snake saying, "Demonic Illusion: Bewildering Jutsu." A slight ripple breezed through the air before it dissipated, however Shingetsu who was hiding in the fog felt the ripple and frowned knowing something was off.

_Odd. There's no wind or breeze down by this part of the Canyon. Ah! Genjutsu perhaps? That is his specialty. Tsk. Impressive. So that's his plan. Since Genjutsu is his specialty he must have casted a pretty powerful one. I don't know exactly what effect his Genjutsu will have but I don't really want to wait and find out. It could be my undoing. I either stop my flow of chakra before flaring it up to release myself from his Genjutsu and announce my position to him or fall prey to his Genjutsu. Damn. _

Shingetsu immediately stopped the flow of his chakra before flaring it up creating a powerful disturbance within the mist. Zen immediately turned his head eastward forming the Tiger sign and shouted, "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Fwish!

A flaming fireball in the shape of a dragon's head whizzed through the air with incredible speed straight at Shingetsu who smirked excitedly and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A powerful stream of water erupted from his mouth and blocked the incoming Fire Ninjutsu. It was then he took note of Zen in the air above him so he gripped his giant buster sword and slashed Zen's body in half. The two halves fell by Shingetsu's feet as he smirked in amusement.

"Heh. I thought so. A Clone." However Shingetsu widened his eyes in shock because not a moment later the two halves turned into water as he was stabbed through the chest from behind.

"Kuh! You used the Water Clone Jutsu?" It was then Shingetsu also turned into nothing but a water clone. Zen smirked as he felt Shingetsu's blade resting on his shoulder.

"Hehe! Not bad, not bad. I knew you were going to be a tough opponent. I wonder, when did you have time to copy my Water Clone Jutsu with that Sharingan of yours? Well, no mat-"

Before Shingetsu could finish what he wanted to say, realization struck him mid sentence as he quickly dashed to the side as fast as he could. It was then that the Zen standing before him exploded creating a giant blast force. Shingetsu frowned and felt his heart beat in both excitement and nervousness as he commented aloud, "I see. When you dashed above me in the air I had utilized the Water Clone Jutsu. Your Sharingan picked up on the fact that I molded chakra for it and copied my technique. The one I slashed was a Water Clone. Then you reappeared behind my Water Clone, but in actuality you substituted yourself for a Shadow Clone right after the Water Clone didn't you? I only just realized after I was speaking aloud to myself. The fact that you copied my Water Clone Jutsu meant you knew I was substituting myself for a fake. There's no way you would use your real body to attack me until after you confirmed my fake was dispelled. Guess I was too caught up in the battle. I haven't been this excited and nervous to fight someone in a long time."

Not a moment later Zen jumped down from the sky and struck downwards with his katana at Shingetsu who narrowed his eyes in focus and swung his blade upwards to counter as he shouted, "Vapour Style: Unrivaled Strength!" Instantly steam erupted from his arms increasing the speed and power of his countering sword strike. As the two blades collided the force behind Shingetsu's attack sent Zen recoiling through the air for several meters before he could stabilize himself and land back safely on the ground. As Shingetsu dashed through the mist towards Zen he saw him weave the Ram sign. Immediately he halted in his steps and prepared to perform another Genjutsu release, however he widened his eyes in shock as the Zen he saw in the distance turned into a flock of crows.

"No way? Genjutsu? Or…"

It was then he felt a tap on his shoulders prompting him to twist his body and grip his sword tightly slashing with all his might, however what he was met with exceeded his expectations. It wasn't Zen that tapped him from behind but rather a crow. Shingetsu was astonished once more because at that moment he felt as if he had awoken from a deep slumber. All of a sudden the surrounding area began to change. The mist was disappearing, the open rocky terrain they were fighting at before changed to an area with large fossil-like skeletons surrounded by a forest of dense rocky trees, and a katana was pressed against his back aimed right where his heart was. Shingetsu could only remain standing there motionlessly.

A small drop of sweat dripped down his forehead as he commented nervously, "Hehe...what the hell. Don't tell me you were able to catch me in a Genjutsu this entire time. How'd you manage that?"

As Zen kept his blade pressed against Shingetsu's back he calmly answered, "Ever since our swords first clashed."

Zen's answer astonished Shingetsu making him feel a mix of complicated emotions. "So...ever since our swords first clashed huh...but still there's no way you caught me in an ocular Genjutsu. Right? And I even performed a Genjutsu release later on after I used the Hidden Mist Jutsu. How'd you do it?"

"You're right. I didn't cast ocular Genjutsu on you. Instead right when you noticed my Sharingan you turned your head to look away. You looked at the direction of our sword clash and indirectly saw my hands gripped around the hilt of my blade. You were too distracted at the fact that I had the Sharingan you didn't register the Ram hand sign I had performed while gripping my sword. It was then I trapped you in my Genjutsu, Grand Illusion: False Play. With this Genjutsu I can slowly manipulate your mind to falsely see things in the surroundings such as misjudging the distance between us. A cold chill in the air. The steam created from our clash of Fire and Water Ninjutsu making it last longer than it normally should. Things like this and eventually you'll fall deeper and deeper into my manipulation that you won't even realize that we changed locations. Just like now. In fact your Hidden Mist Jutsu made it easier for me. With all the mist in the surrounding area I no longer had to try so hard to manipulate every small detail of our terrain to make you fall deeper into my Genjutsu. I simply made it look like there was heavy mist wherever we ran off to. You also circulated your chakra to utilize Jutsus after you were affected. That action caused you to unknowingly speed up the process of disrupting your senses that I had already caused to deviate thereby strengthening my Genjutu's hold over you. Your attempt at Genjutsu release indeed worked, but that only worked against the other Genjutsu I casted, the Bewildering Jutsu. You would have been able to break free from my Grand Illusion Jutsu as well if you hadn't already fallen so deep into it. Had you continued to flare up your chakra when you did for several more seconds you might have actually successfully broken free from both of my Genjutsus, however you didn't. I also didn't give you much time as I attacked you soon after."

Shingetsu smirked. "I see. You're the toughest person my age I ever fought."

"You flatter me. In fact I acknowledge your ability as well. You're one of the strongest shinobi I ever fought."

Shingetsu let out a soft laugh. "Then perhaps I'll continue to surprise you. Your mistake was thinking that this was over and released me from your Genjutsu."

Zen widened his eyes in shock at hearing Shingetsu's words and then he was shocked once more as Shingetsu leaned back and actually pierced himself on the katana pressed against his back. Zen tried to pull out his blade, but he was astonished as he discovered he couldn't. Not only that but as he looked at Shingetsu he found that not only was he unharmed, he was smiling triumphantly.

"Can't take back your sword huh? I guess you don't know much about the Hozuki clan. We possess the ability to liquify our bodies. It's one of my greatest defensive techniques and trump cards."

Zen frowned and quickly let go of his sword before dashing back to avoid Shingetsu's sword strike. Shingetsu then held out his right hand as he shouted, "Water Style: Gatling Gun Jutsu!"

Zen quickly countered as he shouted, "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Pssssshhhhh!

The sound of warm steam rising in the air could be heard from the collision of their two opposing Ninjutsus. Shingetsu smirked and formed the signs of Dog, Ram, Ox, and Dragon before clapping his hands together and shouting, "Vapour Style: Piranha Storm Jutsu!" He expelled from his mouth hot boiling vapour that took the shape of hundreds of piranhas floating in the air. Those piranha's flew all over the air in a swarming frenzy all aimed at Zen. Zen frowned and instantly knew that the situation had taken a turn for the worse so he gritted his teeth and weaved the signs of Dog, Snake, and Tiger shouting, "Ghost Flame Style: White Fire Dome Cover!"

Whoosh!

Just before the hundreds of steaming hot boiling piranhas could hit him a large brilliant white flame erupted all around his body covering him completely in a warm glow. The piranha's smashed into the white flames and exploded on impact releasing a powerful burst of hot corrosive vapour in their wake, however no matter how many piranha's struck the white dome of fire it didn't break or flicker or sway. It remained as it was before. Shingetsu widened his eyes in shock and furrowed his brow in confusion.

"So...seems you had another trick up your sleeve. What is that Jutsu?"

"This is my Kekkei Genkai the Ghost Flame release. And this is my white fire. A flaming shield that can defend against both physical attacks and Ninjutsu. While there are some drawbacks to this technique there's no need for me to tell you."

Shingetsu felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his forehead. "Well well...you're just full of tricks…"

Zen then placed his hands in the Dragon, Bird, and Ram sign before saying, "Ghost Flame Style: Blue Fire Scorching Heat." The white flames surrounding him instantly dissipated as a burst of blue fire shot out from his palm and straight at Shingetsu who felt his heart skip a beat in nervousness and panic as he could feel how strong the heat was even from far away. He quickly countered by forming the Horse and Tiger sign shouting, "Vapour Style: Severing Stream Jutsu!" From his mouth he quickly expelled a powerful condensed stream of hot boiling vapour from his mouth. As the white-gray vapour and bright blue fire collided in the middle a high ear piercing screeching noise was emitted like the sound of an over boiling tea kettle. The heat generated from the clashing of the two Kekkei Genkais was so hot that the ground beneath the attack began melting away creating a giant gaping hole in the ground. Just as the two ceased their attack Shingetsu flinched as he felt Zen's hand on his shoulder. He could only stare with a bit of awe as he noted that Zen was still standing in the distance, but yet there was a Zen behind him as well.

"Hahaha...what can I say? I truly admire your skill. You got me. During that exchange not only were you able to focus on competing against my Vapour Style you were even able to split some of your chakra to create a Shadow Clone. And I venture to guess that this isn't just any ordinary Shadow Clone either given that you now know of my ability to liquify my body. The moment I make any move to counterattack it'll probably explode forcing my body to liquify. I'll be delayed when reforming my body and that'll give you the time you need to defeat me. And so...I humbly concede. You've won this match."

Zen took several deep breaths as he accepted Shingetsu's verbal defeat.

_He was even more powerful than I had originally thought. To force me to even use my Ghost Flame Kekkei Genkai. I've exhausted so much chakra I can't go for another battle. Guess I'll just wait it out somewhere. _

Zen was brought back out of his thoughts as Shingetsu took out his scroll and the scroll he obtained from Kento and handed both to Zen.

"Here. You won fair and square. Take these."

Zen nodded appreciatively and stored the scrolls away before sitting down under a tree. Shingetsu raised his eyebrow curiously at Zen's actions.

"Wait...you're just gonna sit there?"

Zen nodded in response. "I've exhausted too much chakra. I need to recover. Besides, including the two scrolls you gave me I now have three in total that count towards points. There's only 30 minutes left before the end of the Game. Our fight took quite a while."

Shingetsu smirked and stretched his arms as he walked over to Zen and took a seat down next to him. "Well let me join you then. That was one heck of a fight. Of all the shinobi in the younger generation you're the strongest I ever fought."

Zen raised his eyebrow curiously at Shingetsu's laid back style. "Is that alright? Usually after you lose your scroll you're reversed summoned out of here from the ASF and Iwagakure co-joint Five Great Games committee."

Shingetsu widened his eyes in shock. "Oh?! Right, that's what happened to Kento after I beat him. Then that means I do-"

Before he could finish his sentence Shingetsu disappeared in a puff of smoke as he was reversed summoned out of the arena. Izaya stared blankly at the spot where Shingetsu just was before an involuntary smile graced his lips in amusement.

"Hozuki Shingetsu. An interesting guy."

Zen simply remained resting against the stone tree for the last 30 minutes as the Game finally came to an end. All the participants returned to the entrance of the Grave Canyon where the crowd and the Five Kage were gathered. Loud cheers and shouts from the crowd resonated in the air for a long while before the results of the Fifth Game were announced by the emcee.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fifth Game has come to an exciting end and the results you've all been waiting for have been calculated. As I'm sure you all recall the individuals that participated in the final Game were Konohamaru, Zen, and Hiroshi from Konoha's team 2. From Sunagakure's team 1 were Shira and Shinki. From Kiri's team 1 was Shingetsu. From Iwa's team 1 was Kaito. And from Ame's team 1 was Kento."

"Now moving on to point distributions. As Konohamaru had his scroll taken before 1 hour passed by he was not awarded any points. Zen managed to obtain 3 scrolls and survived all 6 hours in the Game so he is awarded 20 points for each scroll and 10 points for each hour awarding him 120 points! While Hiroshi was unable to obtain any scrolls he managed to survive for the full 6 hours granting him 60 points. All in all the final score for Konoha's team 2 is an astounding 685 points!"

"Next, Shira was able to obtain a scroll as well. Although he was eliminated at the 2 hour mark because he was able to at some point hold possession of another team's scroll he still obtains points for it. Therefore he is awarded 20 points for the one scroll he obtained and 20 points for surviving 2 hours gaining a total of 40 points. As for Shinki he did not obtain a scroll but he survived the full 6 hours granting him 60 points. All in all Sunagakure's team 1 obtained a grand total of 600 points!"

Now moving on to Shingetsu. He managed to retrieve one scroll before having it lost to him and survived 5 hours before being eliminated. He earned a total of 70 points. All in all Kirigakure's team 1 obtained a final score of 510 points!"

"Next is Kaito from Iwa's team 1. He survived 6 hours and earned 60 points. Iwa's team 1 obtained a final score of 505 points!"

"And now moving on to Kento. He survived 3 hours in the Game earning him 30 points giving Ame's team 1 a grand total of 455 points!"

"There you have it folks. With the scores all out we have our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place victors. In 1st place is Konohagakure's 2nd team with a grand total of 685 points consisting of the Jonin Konohamaru and the three Chunins Yagami Zen, Hyuga Hiroshi, and Nara Shikadai!"

"In 2nd place is Sunagakarue's 1st team with a grand total of 600 points led by the Jonin Shira and the three Chunins Shinki, Enrai, and Leerin!"

"And finally in 3rd place with a grand total of 510 points is Kirigakure's 1st team led by the Jonin Saizo and the three Chunins Karatachi Kagura, Hozuki Shingetsu, and Reya!"

Once more the crowd went wild with loud cheers and congratulatory shouts. The congratulatory award ceremony was already prepared in advance so all the 1st place team, the 2nd place team, and the 3rd place team members stood on the large stage that was prepared for them. As the Five Great Games were held in Iwagakure it was Kurotsuchi's duty to hand out the awards and give words of praise. A bronze medal was given to each member of Kirigakure's 1st team for achieving 3rd place as well as a sum of money worth 1 S-rank mission. A silver medal was given to each member of Sunagakure's 1st team for achieving 2nd place also with a sum of money worth 3 S-rank missions. And finally a gold medal was awarded to Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai for achieving 1st place. Not only were they given a sum of money worth 7-S rank missions but they were even given a large golden trophy to commemorate their victory. Soon after the four of them had their pictures taken and names recorded in the Five Great Games Hall of Fame data book. They each then carved their own name on a special plaque that would be displayed within the Five Great Games Hall of Fame located within the ASF HQ. The last portion of the award ceremony was the chance to meet and greet the Five Kage's of the Five Great Nations before the entire event was over.

Shikadai let out a sigh of relief as he walked back with the others to the luxurious hotel all the participants were staying at. Hiroshi smirked at Shikadai's exhausted look and lightly patted him on the back.

"Lighten up Shikadai. It's finally over. We won! Got our medals, a trophy, a lot of money, got our pictures taken, had our names recorded in history for the Five Great Games, now we can relax and do whatever we want."

Shikadai just sighed once more. "That may be but the crowd outside is wild. They want autographs and pictures and it's just too much. Plus, don't forget that tomorrow evening there's still the closing banquet."

Hiroshi awkwardly smiled at Shikadai's complaints since he also kind of agreed that it was a bit much for the crowd outside to act like he and his teammates were celebrities.

Zen yawned and chimed in, "I think...I'm going to bed."

Konohamaru just let out a laugh at everyone's current state. "Well now, I was going to ask if you all wanted to do anything to celebrate our victory, but I think we should probably just get some rest. We'll have time tomorrow to celebrate in the morning and afternoon before attending the closing banquet in the evening. And don't worry about the crowd. It'll die down eventually."

Everyone nodded at Konohamaru's suggestion and turned in a bit early for the night.

**888**

Meanwhile atop a giant tall rock cliff that overlooked Iwagakure sat Naruto and Izaya as they relaxed in peaceful silence in the night. A small wooden table rested between them with a large plate of dumplings and hot tea on it. As they both ate and drank in silence Naruto let out a relaxed sigh and commented, "Everything seems so peaceful from up here."

Izaya smiled at Naruto's comment before picking up his chopsticks and popping a dumpling in his mouth before responding a bit muffled. "Mhm. If only we didn't have to worry about so many hidden dangers."

Naruto could only let out another soft sigh. "Haaaa...so...now that the Five Great Games are over we need to think about how we're going to handle the Kaidan Killers case. On top of that, how exactly are we going to search for information on what Kara is? Then there's the whole issue with the feudal lord of water that Chojuro mentioned to us an hour ago. It seems that the feudal lord is pretty adamant about not signing the treaty of the middle sea. This is continuing to pose a problem. The Land of Water doesn't want stability to rise within the Land of Waves and the Land of Seas while the Land of Waves and Seas wish to continue their expansion. Tensions are rising. Unfortunately this drags in Konoha as well since we also use the middle sea route for our own trade purposes. I'm worried that Waves and Seas will lean towards war over this matter. Kirigakure has expressed their support of the treaty but they have close ties to the feudal lord of water. It's going to cause tension between them as well. This is starting to become a mess."

Izaya frowned at Naruto's summary of the most recent and direct issues they were facing and stared down at his cup of tea in his hands in deep contemplation. "Well, what you said sounds about right. By the way, Naruto, where are Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada? I thought that they would have come to an event like the Five Great Games."

"Ah, right. That brings up another issue. Actually in truth Konoha is dealing with another issue. There's this group known as the Mujina Bandits that has been causing some trouble in the Land of Fire. They were targeting someone named Kokuri who was supposedly an ex-member of their gang. Kokuri requested assistance and protection in exchange for giving us information on the bandits. Kokuri's being held in Hozuki Castle. With the Five Great Games underway I was struggling with who to send for this mission. Typically I'd send a Chunin but our skilled Chunins, as you know, are participating in the Games so I sent Team 7. They are after all, about Chunin level. I'm confident they can handle it. They just need to protect him until Sai can get the paperwork done needed to free Kokuri from the prison."

Izaya raised his eyebrow in curiosity as he didn't know that there was such a thing going on. He let out a sigh and shook his head. "It seems I've been away too long. Who knew there'd be so many problems popping up one after the other...Haaaaaah...Naruto...with all the issues arising everywhere we can't solve them by ourselves. I think I'm going to form an organization for the ASF consisting of 12 shinobi."

Naruto widened his eyes slightly shocked at what Izaya had just said. "An organization under the ASF? But...what would its function be? The ASF already accepts missions from all over the world and puts together teams consisting of shinobi from all the villages that have joined to suit the mission requests. Oh, and I forgot to mention. After Shikamaru, I, and the other Kage's had a discussion we agreed to rename the Allied Shinobi Forces into the Shinobi Union. It sounds less militaristic this way."

Izaya nodded in agreement. "Mn, that sounds like a good idea. If we continue on with the name of ASF it might make people continue to think that we're in a constant state of war. Shinobi Union sounds good. As for the organization I'm thinking of creating for the Shinobi Union, it will be a bit more special than just pooling together random shinobi from other villages. These shinobi will take on the most difficult tasks that the world is currently facing under the orders of the S.U. I'll train these shinobi myself and do my best to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need. My hope is to train them all into S-class tier shinobi one day. I'm thinking of calling this organization the Onmitsu 12. They're different than just being a ragtag group of shinobi pulled together from across all the villages. This group will be highly specialized, lethal, trustworthy, and more reliable when dealing with incredibly hard missions like the ones you mentioned earlier. For instance, trying to find out more about the Kaidan Killers. Although we are at a time of peace and all villages within the S.U. work well together, trying to put together a group of shinobi from across all the villages and expect them to have unwavering trust and synergy with one another while on a stressful and highly dangerous mission is a bit too optimistic. To get rid of this factor they would have to undergo strict training every time to get used to working with their new teammates for the new mission. That takes time though and by then we could lose the initiative for whatever mission they were gathered for. We can circumvent this by creating the Onmitsu 12. What do you think?"

Naruto gave what Izaya said some considerable thought. "I...suppose this could work. We'll have to run this by the S.U. council."

Izaya nodded. "Of course. And hence I proposed a few days ago that we should hold a meeting at the S.U. HQ after the Games. Once the closing banquet is over tomorrow evening we'll have to kick things into gear so these issues don't snowball on us."

Naruto quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah."


	18. The Onmitsu 12

**AN: Hey everyone! I know, it's been a long while since I've updated the story. Sorry about that. I've been putting most of my work and effort on my Bleach Story. Of course I'm still working on this one as well, just not at the same pace as the Bleach one. Going forward I will try and get more updates out for this story, but do note that it will most likely be at a slower pace than the Bleach story. And thanks to everyone who continues to read and support me and the stories. **

**Also, hope everyone is safe and doing well! **

* * *

Chapter 18

_One Week Later_

Currently gathered in a neat and luxurious looking room were not only the Five Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages, but also representatives of other hidden villages that had joined the Shinobi Union overtime. A few notable hidden villages that had joined the Union were Amegakure, Hoshigakure, Ishigakure, Kusagakure, Otogakure, and Yumegakure. Aside from the Kage and the representatives of the other villages, everyone's advisors were also currently situated in the room. Izaya was present as well. Even though he was not the current Hokage of Konoha, he was probably the most prominent and respected person in the room as he was the one who laid the foundations for keeping the ASF together which was now renamed the Shinobi Union.

As everyone lightly chatted amongst themselves Shikamaru was the one who got everyone's attention as he let out a loud cough. "Ahem. Uhh...well, I suppose we should begin. If you all don't mind I will start the discussion. First, thank you all for coming on such short notice. The reason we're gathered is because there seems to be an undercurrent of issues moving throughout the world right now. They may not manifest themselves as a huge problem right now, however if left unattended then they could eventually come back to bite us. Keep in mind that everything we discuss here today should be kept only within these walls. Now moving on to the pressing issues at hand. The Kaidan Killers have once again revealed themselves to the world. Why? We don't know. Most likely they were hired by someone for a job and used the distraction of the Five Great Games to complete their contract kill. There was also the use of an illegal Tailed Beast Drug during the Games. That means that the organizations of the underworld have gotten their hands on something extremely dangerous. Not only does this drug cause one to gain enhanced physical capabilities on the level of cloaked Tailed Beasts, it can also cause one to lose control of their minds."

Someone from Hoshigakure interjected as they asked, "Couldn't we have Kabuto analyze this drug and have him create an antidote?"

Shikamaru nodded. "We could, however we don't have any of the drug on our hands. It's possible that this is not the only kind of enhancing drug circulating in the underworld. Furthermore there is the issue of the middle seas treaty. Tensions are rising there and should things keep going in the direction they're heading it could lead to a war over the trade routes between The Land of Water, Sea, and Waves. Konoha and Kirigakure could also end up being dragged into it as well since they utilize these trade routes too. Then there was the incident with the Otsutsuki Clan during the Chunin Exams. They are dangerous, and with their arrival we now have confirmation that they have set their eyes on our planet. While the members who invaded have been dealt with, the fact remains that we don't know how many more of them are out there nor do we know when they may send reinforcements. On top of that we don't know their strength. How powerful was Momoshiki amongst their Clan? Where does he rank? Will they send someone stronger? Will they send an army next time instead of just 3? Was Momshiki and his group just an advanced party to study our strength and gather intel? We don't have enough information. With the possible threat of the Otsutsuki Clan still looming in the air we can't divert too much of our strength and manpower into the undercurrents disturbing the rest of the world."

A member from Amegakure then chimed in, "From the way you are talking it seems you have already thought of a countermeasure. I think we can all agree that these issues are a pressing problem. So what is the plan?"

Shikamaru nodded and looked over to Izaya as he continued, "The 6th Hokage has proposed we train a group of highly skilled Shinobi that will work under the Shinobi Union known as the Onmitsu 12. As the name suggests the group will consist of 12 members. They will work with each other to take on the difficult tasks that we face in the world. For instance the Kaidan Killers. They work in the shadows and thrive in the underworld, however we have no way of tracking them down. We would need a group of highly skilled Shinobi to find more information on behalf of the S.U. The problem is if we pick a group of random Shinobi from each village for the job, albeit suited to their skill set, we still need to give them time to train and get familiar with each other. Only then can they work effectively as a team and glean anything useful without being caught during these dangerous missions. Then what if another problem arises later similar to the Kaidan Killers? We would need to gather another group and train them and whatnot. It takes time, and groups like the Kaidan Killers won't wait for us to be prepared. By the time the group of Shinobi we chose for the mission is ready the trail of the target could vanish. We would lose the initiative. So, the main topic of today is to gather everyone's thoughts on the formation of the very first Shinobi Union Omnitsu 12."

The room was silent for a few seconds before everyone began quietly chatting between themselves. After several minutes of discussion Darui raised his hand and asked, "The idea sounds alright, but we would still need to train the 12 Shinobi chosen for the task. How will we choose and how will they be trained?"

It was then Izaya, who was relaxedly leaned back on his chair with his feet up on a desk uncrossed his legs and sat up replying, "I will choose. And I will train them."

Immediately everyone widened their eyes in shock at the revelation that Izaya was going to personally train the group himself. Izaya grinned a bit at everyone's expression and stood up walking in front of the room to better address everyone.

"It's no surprise really. After all, like Shikamaru said I was the one to suggest we create the Onmitsu 12. These problems in the world, I would personally investigate them myself, however there is the issue of the Otsutsuki Clan. I believe, and I think you all would agree with me, that my focus is better suited on searching for more information on the Otsutsuki Clan. The same would go for the Five Kage and the leaders of the other hidden villages. You all have political matters to deal with and can't go leaving your villages to search for information in the underworld. Also, the formation of the Onmitsu 12 is not just something that will end in our generation. We won't be around forever which means we need to also prepare capable Shinobi that can deal with such hidden dangers in the future. Even when we are no longer here. Send in any and all candidates from your villages under the age of 16 that you believe would be suitable to be part of the Onmitsu 12 to the Shinobi Union 1 month from now. I will assess their skills, abilities, mentality, potential, character, and willingness to learn and adapt. Then from amongst all the candidates I will choose 12. I will not be biased in who I choose. If they come from my village, Konoha, and have the right potential then I will choose them. If they come from Ishigakure and have the right potential then I will choose them. I want you all to know that I do not care about what village they come from. Whether from my village, your village, or anyone else's village, as we are the S.U. it matters not which of our village's the Shinobi forming the Onmitsu 12 come from. In the end they are part of our Union and they will be our special task force. The process of choosing the 12 members will be recorded of course, so you all can watch and judge yourself whether or not I am an objective person. In the end I hope you can trust my judgement. Now, only one thing remains. For everyone here to sign the document in approval of the formation of the Onmitsu 12."

Everyone gave careful consideration to what Izaya had said. They all began to silently chat amongst themselves again for a few minutes before the room fell silent. Shikamaru nodded his head noting that everyone seemed to have come to an answer and asked, "Then, those in favor of the formation of the Shinobi Union Onmitsu 12 please raise your hand."

In no time at all everyone in the room raised their hand in agreement. After gaining everyone's approval everyone signed the official document enacting into being the creation of the very first Onmitsu 12. After confirming everyone's signature the document was sealed. Izaya then placed a dark black box on the table in the middle of the room startling everyone present.

Chojuro narrowed his eyes and asked, "What is that 6th Hokage?"

Izaya furrowed his brow in seriousness as he stared at that black box. "You Five Kage already know that Hanabi and I were attacked at some point during the Five Great Games celebration. This is the item I mentioned to you all before."

Everyone aside from the Five Kage were extremely shocked at Izaya's statement. They had no idea that such an incident had occurred nor did they ever think anyone would dare to attack one of the Kage so openly.

Izaya then continued, "I was attacked by a Shinobi named Kai. He originated from Kirigakure. Of course the 6th Mizukage is looking into this matter. That's not the reason why I brought this to light. I mention Kai because of this box. It was a mysterious item that seemed to bear no uniqueness about it. In fact even right now I'm sure all of you in this room don't see anything that special about this box, however it was sold at an auction in Iwagakure during the Games. That's how Kai acquired it. He used it to seal me away in another dimension. In that dimension was nothing but darkness. The feeling of gloom and despair permeated the air. Fortunately I possess the skill to escape such a technique, however being trapped inside for just a few seconds was enough to affect my mind for a few days. At least my dreams that is. Those who are sealed inside will experience a powerful illusory nightmare that tortures their mind. I reckon the longer you are sealed inside the longer and more powerful the torturous nightmares last. I was only trapped inside for a few seconds yet when I escaped, the nightmares still lasted for 3 days. I don't know how Kai knew what this box is, but he called it the Dark Moon Box and said that it fell with Otsutsuki Kaguya when she arrived on this planet. From that information I reckon it is some sort of relic made by the Otsutsuki Clan. It's dangerous and powerful. As you can see I've already placed a powerful seal over the box to prevent anyone from misusing its power, however I wanted you all to be aware that it is possible there are more dangerous items and relics created by the Otsutsuki Clan hidden on our planet. If that is the case then please proceed with caution if you ever discover any strange artifacts."

Everyone in the room once again mumbled and discussed amongst themselves for a few minutes before someone from Otogakure asked, "What of the box? What shall we do with it?"

Izaya let out a sigh and took a seat as he replied, "I've already sealed its power, however it still remains a dangerous item. We are the Shinobi Union. These types of dangerous artifacts should be made aware to all of us and should any of us discover more of these dangerous items we should bring them forth before the Union's council so we can deal with it appropriately. I propose we set up a hidden chamber in the deepest levels beneath the Shinobi Union with powerful restrictive barriers and seals to hold any and all potentially dangerous items like the Dark Moon Box. We'll call this sealed area the Togoku Hoko. The imprisoned Treasure House. Should we find more of these kinds of items we should seal them away there. What does the Shinobi Union think?"

Once more everyone discussed amongst themselves before everyone took a vote. In the end everyone agreed that certain dangerous items like the Dark Moon Box be sealed away under the control of the Shinobi Union, and so the creation of the Togoku Hoko was also signed into being. That was the last thing everyone discussed before the council was adjourned.

In the end it was only the Five Kage and Izaya left as Izaya let out a sigh and laid down on a nearby couch in the room. Kurotsuchi shook her head at Izaya's tired expression and commented, "6th Hokage, how much do you plan ahead? I truly wonder how that brain of yours works sometimes."

Darui nodded in agreement. "Well, let's all just be glad that it's not the 6th Hokage plotting against us or we'd be in for a lot of trouble. He's too meticulous and calculating." He paused for a moment as he realized what he said and teasingly commented, "Wait, 6th Hokage you aren't plotting against us right?"

Izaya just turned his head lazily at the Five Kage and responded, "Do you even hear what you're asking me? You can take on the burdensome task of training the Onmitsu 12 then."

Darui laughed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hahahaha! I'm just kidding. Ahem. No one is more suitable for the training of the Onmitsu 12 than you."

Izaya smirked. "Flattery isn't helping your case."

Gaara joined in the discussion next. "How is it exactly that you plan to choose the candidates?"

Izaya looked up at the ceiling for a few moments as he thought about it. "Hmmm...they'll take a paper test first. There will be some easy questions, some hard ones, and some morally questionable ones. I don't care whether they can answer correctly or not. The questions are meant to help me judge what they're thinking. I will then use those tests to help me conduct a personal interview with each candidate. This will help me assess their character. If they pass those two tests I'll choose the 12 that have the greatest potential and show the most promise to carry out dangerous and special missions for the Shinobi Union. Then I'll assess their skills in battle and pair them in a team of two. " He then turned to look at the Five Kage with an amused expression. "I look forward to seeing your candidates." He then disappeared leaving the Five Kage completely baffled.

Chojuro awkwardly smiled and commented, "I see the 6th Hokage is still up to his old antics of appearing and disappearing in a flash."

Naruto just awkwardly laughed. "Aha...hahaha...you all know Izaya. That's just how he is."

Everyone just let out an amused sigh.

**888**

Hiroshi, Zen, Boruto, Shikadai, and Inojin were currently standing outside an item shop each with a card pack in their hands. Zen glanced at the silver foil wrapping and commented, "So this game is called what?"

Boruto grinned and answered, "Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls! You see, each card depicts the image of a Shinobi throughout the history of the world. Each card also has a rarity type that ranges from common, uncommon, rare, super rare, and super super rare! There are also cards that are only limited editions! Each card lists the stats of the Shinobi on the bottom left and there's a description box that lists the ability and effect of the card. Anyways, let's just open them and see what we get!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and began to unwrap their package. Inojin looked through his first and let out a sigh. "Aww man...I got Shino-sensei."

Boruto laughed. "Hahaha, too bad Inojin. Shino-sensei is a commonly ranked card. I have plenty of him."

Inojin clicked his tongue. "Tch. Then what did you get huh?"

Boruto grinned and slowly took out his cards, however he immediately felt his soul leave his body in disappointment. "Ugh! I got dad...again."

Shikadai, Hiroshi, and Inojin laughed as Hiroshi chimed in, "Hahaha! Too bad Boruto, that's like the sixth time you pulled a 7th Hokage card out of a pack."

Shikadai quickly reigned in his emotions as he chimed in, "But if you think about it that's pretty amazing. I mean the 7th Hokage is a super super rare card. The odds of getting a super super rare card is extremely low. The fact that Boruto got six of them is kind of...how do I put it...nearly impossible to do. I mean, pulling one SSR is tough. Pulling two of the same kind is even harder. But six times?! It must be fate or something."

Boruto could only grumble. "Hmpf. Why couldn't it be Sasuke-san or uncle Izaya. I haven't even seen anyone pull one of those cards yet."

Hiroshi smirked and said, "Watch me! I'll pull it right now!" As he slowly unraveled his package and took out the 10 cards inside he quickly flipped them over to look at what he got. Everyone watched with bated breath, however in the next moment they all just let out a disappointed sigh. Hiroshi could only click his tongue. "Tch. Best card is Genin Konohamaru. That's only a common rank. I have like 5 of him already."

Shikadai smirked. "Heh, then I guess I'm the one with all the luck." As Shikadai unravelled his cards and revealed them everyone was actually extremely shocked.

Boruto pointed to the card and stammered, "I-It's a super rare card of a-aunt Hanabi as the Hyuga Clan Head! I haven't seen anyone pull one of those before!"

Hiroshi immediately gripped Shikadai by the shoulders. "What do you want?! I'll trade you something for the card! Tell me!"

Boruto shoved Hiroshi out of the way as he made his own offer. "No, forget Hiroshi. I'll trade you this card of the 7th Hokage for your card of Hanabi!"

Shikadai smirked in amusement. "Heh, in your dreams. With how often you're pulling the 7th Hokage cards it makes them look almost too normal now. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen anyone pull this card of aunt Hanabi as the Hyuga Clan Head before either so it'll make a nice addition to my collection."

Hiroshi crossed his arms and grumbled unhappily. "Hmpf. That's my mom. You should have just given it to me."

Shikadai shook his head at how childish both Hiroshi and Boruto were being. It was then they were brought out of their own little world when they heard Zen unravelling his pack.

"Oh! Right, Zen still needs to open his. It's your first time, right Zen?" Inojin commented.

Zen nodded. "I've never played Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls before nor did I know that they existed."

Boruto patted Zen on the shoulders reassuringly. "Don't worry if you don't get a good pull. As you saw, Hiroshi and Inojin didn't get anything great either. Then again maybe you'll have some beginner's luck."

Zen nodded and revealed the cards in his hand, however the moment everyone saw the cards in his hands they all dropped their jaws in disbelief. The very first card in his hands depicted a Shinobi with a blindfold. He wore a katana on his waist while wearing his unique Hokage's Haori with the falling leaf and fire patterns on it.

Hiroshi widened his eyes in extreme shock. "T-T-That's! Dad!"

Inojin was also completely shocked. "Y-You actually drew the SSR 6th Hokage?!"

Shikadai also commented in disbelief. "He really did have beginners luck."

Boruto could only grip his head in frustration. "Ahhhh! That's so unfair! I should have swapped packs with Zen."

Zen stared at the picture of the card in his hand for a moment and an involuntary smile graced his lips. "Mn. I think I'll start my own collection."

The four of them continued to talk about Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls for a bit longer until Hiroshi turned to Boruto and asked, "How come you, Sarada, and Mitsuki didn't show up at the Five Great Games?"

"Hm? Oh, that's because before dad left he assigned us a mission. We had to protect this guy named Kokuri in Hozuki castle. Apparently he was an ex-member of the notorious Mujina bandits."

"Ehhh? So that's what you guys were doing. Does that mean you guys were holed up in prison for a bit?"

Boruto nodded. "Yeah. It was interesting to say the least. Oh, by the way I watched the recordings of you, Zen, and Shikadai kicking butt during the Games. Nice job guys!"

Hiroshi smirked. "Did you ever have any doubt in us?"

"Course not. But I do have to say there were some pretty strong looking guys there. I saw Shinki was there too. Even Kagura and Kaito. Oh, and I heard that there was some sort of incident that happened. Someone died and Chocho was poisoned or something. What was that about?"

Hiroshi just shrugged. "I don't know. The Kage's are handling that. When I asked dad about it he just said not to worry for now and if it's something I need to know he'll tell me. Mom told me that dad left this morning to attend a meeting at the ASF HQ."

Shikadai nodded and chimed in, "That's right. My dad left really early in the morning alongside the 7th Hokage. And I believe they are renaming the ASF to the Shinobi Union. Anyways they're probably discussing this stuff right about now."

They were interrupted from their discussion at the sound of Izaya's voice. "Discussing what stuff right about now?"

"Eh? Dad?" Hiroshi exclaimed.

Izaya grinned and walked over to them noticing the cards in their hands. "Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls huh? Seems it's gotten pretty popular."

Hiroshi smirked and teasingly said, "Want to try it out dad?"

Izaya raised his eyebrow curiously at Hiroshi wondering what he was up to. In the end he shook his head. "It's alright. I'm fine."

Hiroshi just smirked some more as a mischievous glint flashed past his eyes. "Oh? Are you sure dad? You don't even want to collect one card?"

"Alright Hiroshi, what are you up to?"

Hiroshi just shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. I just thought that you might be interested in mom's card. Shikadai drew it from a pack."

Izaya immediately turned his attention to Shikadai with great interest causing him to feel a powerful formless pressure weighing down on him. Shikadai nervously scratched the side of his cheek and unconsciously took a step back. "Aha...uhhh...L-Lord 6th. Here. Please take a look." Shikadai immediately caved in and handed the card over.

Izaya happily grinned and looked over the card. After studying it for a bit he nodded his head in approval. "Mn. Not bad. This is a good picture of her. They didn't make any weird or strange modifications to her image." He then shook his head in disappointment. "Hanabi definitely deserves to be SSR tier not SR tier. A shame."

Boruto and Shikadai could only stare at Izaya in shock and disbelief at his words as they knew he was only saying that because Hanabi was his wife. Furthermore they were shocked because the reason he wanted to look at the card of Hanabi was to make sure that the company didn't objectify her in any way, shape, or form on the card...though they wondered what he would have done if the manufacture company did make some sort of modification. In the end Izaya returned the card to Shikadai as Hiroshi chimed in, "So, interested in collecting some cards now dad?"

Izaya flicked Hiroshi's forehead in response. "Stop teasing me."

Hiroshi simply smirked. "But mom is your only weakness. It's the only time I get the upper hand on you."

Izaya just let out a sigh in defeat. "I'm going now."

The four of them waved goodbye as Izaya disappeared in the next instant.

"Uncle is fast as always." Boruto commented.

Zen nodded in agreement as Hiroshi commented, "Yup. You'd think I'd get used to it by now but I'm still amazed every time."

Soon after the four of them dispersed from the area, Izaya appeared once more. He looked all around him seeing no one in sight so he quickly used the Transformation Jutsu and walked into the item store pointing to a silver pack. "Excuse me, I'll take one pack of the Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls."

"Mn, one pack of the Extreme Shinobi Picture Scrolls. That'll be 30 ryo." The shop owner said.

Izaya nodded and paid before taking his leave. He stared at the pack in his hands and crossed his fingers hoping to get the card of Hanabi before tearing it open. The moment he saw the first card in the pack he paused and stared in disbelief. A second passed in silence, then another and another until finally Izaya let out a triumphant laugh. "Ha! Hahahaha! I did it! It must be fate."

He pulled out the SR card of Hanabi as the Hyuga Clan Head on it and happily walked home.

One month later Izaya had returned to the Shinobi Union in Amegakure and was currently waiting for all the candidates applying to be part of the Onmitsu 12 to finish their tests. The test didn't have too many questions on it. There were some basic history questions, some basic math, logic questions, and problem scenarios. The truth is he wasn't looking for people who could correctly answer the questions. Instead he was looking for people who could think more deeply about a problem. He didn't want the Shinobi in the Onmitsu 12 to be mindless work dogs for the Shinobi Union. He wanted them to be able to think for themselves. To make the best judgements when faced with difficult problems. As he waited for everyone to finish their test he flipped through the documents that had the information on each of the candidates.

"Hmm...Kento from Amegakure huh? If I recall he participated in the Five Great Games. Oh, so his specialty is Summoning Salamanders. As for this next person they're from Iwagakure. His name is Kamizuru Isshin. HIs specialty is Bee Summoning. Interesting. So his lineage stems from the famous Kamizuru clan. If I recall that clan had once clashed with Konoha's Aburame clan a long long time ago. In the end the Aburame's cultivated beetles defeated the Kamizuru's cultivated bees. Mn. quite a lot of interesting candidates, but we'll see if they have the potential."

Izaya continued to flip through some more documents whilst at this moment, Iraia sat in a closed room looking down at the test in front of her. She was one of the candidates for the Onmitsu 12, however she had no idea that it was Izaya who was administering the test nor did she know that it was Izaya who would be in charge of training everyone. As she continued down the line of questions it only made her furrow her brows and frown more and more.

"What's with this test...the instructions say that every question can be answered as open ended or not. It's left to the judgement and discretion of the test taker. And this question...is difficult to answer. It states that during a mission something goes awry and I have a choice. If I choose to continue the mission I would succeed and prevent the potential of a war from breaking out, however in the process I would have to abandon my comrades and they could potentially die. The other option is obviously the opposite. If I choose to save my friends then there is the potential of a war breaking out. The question asks which I would choose. They purposefully left the consequences of each scenario ambiguous. Meaning, if I choose to continue the mission I only potentially stop a war, not that I would actually stop the war. On the other hand my comrades could potentially die. Not that they would actually die. This makes the decision even harder because it leaves me with a sliver of hope that both good things end up happening. There's a sliver of hope that I stop a war and my comrades survive...but there's the chance that everything could just go wrong and I would have to live with the knowledge of knowing that I could not stop a war nor save my comrades. Or if I choose to continue the mission and do stop a war and my comrades die, then I would have to live with that knowledge and that consequence on my conscience. Tsk...what the heck am I supposed to answer...who made this test?"

Iraia grumbled a bit to herself as she sighed and decided to come back to that question later, however she frowned even more at the next question.

"What the heck is with this messed up scenario? It states that my clan has been falsely accused about an incident that caused great damage to the village and over the years they became shunned. Finally the clan could not bear the mistreatment and plans to take over the village. They ask for my cooperation. At the same time I am a member of the village's Anbu and the village is aware of the clan's coup d'etat. The village asks me to spy on my clan, but my clan asks me to spy on the village. The question asks what I would do in such a situation? The follow up question is just as bad. It says that the village tries to negotiate with my clan but the negotiations fail. In the end time ran out and the village assigned me the mission of wiping out my entire clan. Would I accept the mission or would I join my clan in fighting the village. What kind of hellish scenario is this? It then asks me to contemplate what kinds of repercussions this could have depending on which choice I chose. The timeline setting of the question is set to before the formation of the S.U. or the ASF."

Iraia clenched her fist and felt a headache coming on.

"A-Are these questions based on real events in the past...I mean these questions are pretty dark. Usually questions that are semi-specific like these are based on true events. If it is based on true events then I can't imagine how whoever went through these kinds of situations felt."

After two hours passed Izaya finally looked up from the documents in his hand and created several tens of Shadow Clones. Each Shadow Clone went to a different private room and began the interview process which greatly startled every single candidate. They weren't told how much time they had for the test nor were they told who the proctor was. The only thing they were told was that they would first take a written exam before having an interview with someone, and if they passed the interview they would officially be enacted into the Onmitsu 12.

Izaya and his clones began conducting their interview as one of the Clones entered the room with Sarada in it. He walked across the room and greeted, "Hello Sarada."

She nervously greeted back. "L-Lord 6th. Hello."

Izaya warmly smiled. "Are you feeling nervous?"

Sarada immediately steeled her resolve as she knew she was being evaluated at that moment. "No Lord 6th. I am prepared for the challenge."

Izaya took a seat opposite her and replied nonchalantly, "You're not nervous? That doesn't seem to match up with what I saw in your eyes just now. And prepared for the challenge? Who said that there's anything challenging that's going to go on?"

Sarada inwardly flinched and scolded herself.

_I knew it. I'm being evaluated already. In fact I was probably being evaluated the entire time I was taking the test. I can't believe that I drew the short straw and got Lord 6th as the one interviewing me. Wait...is Lord 6th going to do everyone's interviews? Ah, what am I thinking. It doesn't concern me. All I know is Lord 6th is interviewing me and that means I need to show him I'm worthy of being part of the Onmitsu 12. Papa once told me that Lord 6th is someone he greatly respects and admires. I knew Lord 6th was amazing but if papa even says so then I need to really give it my all. My dream is to one day be Hokage. Being part of the Onmitsu 12 and having my name recognized by the Shinobi Union will definitely be of great help on my path._

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Izaya looked over her exam and pointed to a question. He then said, "That's an interesting answer. You didn't choose to kill your own clan but you also didn't choose to help your clan take over the village. You wrote that you would find a different solution. Tell me Sarada, how did this question make you feel?"

Sarada was a bit startled. She thought that Izaya was going to ask her to elaborate on what she wrote, but instead he asked her how she felt. It was a really unexpected question. She closed her eyes for a moment as she gave it some serious thought before replying, "For some reason I feel like...this question connects with me a lot. I am one of the last surviving Uchiha and so I know a little bit about their history. I know that my clan was killed by the hands of papa's older brother, Itachi. When I read this question it made me think of him."

Izaya nodded. "I see. Did it make you angry to recall something like that?"

Sarada shook her head. "No...it made me sad."

Izaya closed his eyes for a moment lost in his thoughts as he took a second to absorb her answer. "It made you sad huh? I see."

It was then without warning Izaya threw an eraser right at Sarada who widened her eyes in shock. She barely had time to react. In fact the time it took to register what was happening to the time she could make a voluntary movement was too slow. She was only able to dodge simply based on reflex and the training she had done with Sasuke.

Pop!

The sound of the eraser hitting the wall could be heard as a small breeze from the force of the eraser being thrown caused her hair to flutter a bit.

Izaya smirked and nodded in approval. "Mn. Not bad. Even after all of that and getting you to feel sad emotionally you were still able to dodge in time. While I don't believe you made the conscious choice to dodge which means your guard was lowered, the fact remains that your muscle memory is superb and you have great potential. Please wait here until all the interviews are over. You will be notified soon whether you passed or not."

Sarada was completely stunned. She had assumed that the interview was going to be based on how she answered the questions on the exam since when Izaya came in he looked over her test and asked her about it, however he only ended up referencing one question from the exam and didn't even ask her to elaborate on her answer. Instead he had manipulated her feelings and caused her to lower her guard without realizing it before striking out at her. If she hadn't gone through some high intensity training with Sasuke in the past month she would have absolutely failed to dodge the eraser aimed at her.

She glanced curiously at Izaya and asked, "T-That's all?"

Izaya smirked and nodded. That's all."

Before she could ask anymore Izaya disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Sarada completely stunned. "Shadow Clone?"

_Lord 6th is really crafty...and he's actually really scary. He seems really nice on the outside and when he interacts with us he's always really kind, but when he's actually in action he's really fearsome. The entire time I had no idea that Lord 6th was purposefully manipulating me to lower my guard. He was testing me to see if my emotions would get in the way during dangerous tasks. It was a battle of the psyche. He only gave me a passing mark because my innate reflexes were able to save me regardless of my lowered defenses. He's a master manipulator and interrogator. Is this how a true shinobi goes out to gather information in the field?_

In the next room over Izaya was performing an interview with Shinki as he sat across from him and looked over the test. He then stared at Shinki for a moment before asking, "Shinki. How are you?"

Shinki remained calm and collected as he replied, "I'm fine."

Izaya smirked. "I see. Fine huh? What's 1+1?"

Shinki was inwardly startled as he was now greatly confused and answered, "2."

Izaya nodded and continued quickly, "3+3?"

"6."

"5+3?"

"8."

"9+38?"

"4-"

Izaya didn't even wait for Shinki to finish giving an answer as he just kept going.

"32+43?"

"7-"

"61+2? 81+17? 22+66?"

Shinki was baffled and he couldn't understand what was going on. He wasn't even given any time to answer back. As he was struggling to give an answer Izaya interjected and said, "What's your name?"

Shinki furrowed his brow and said, "Shi-"

However once again Izaya didn't give him time to answer and cut him off by saying, "You're not very good at math are you?"

Shinki wanted to respond but once again Izaya didn't let him. "Can't even tell me your own name can you?"

Shinki was inwardly enraged by this point and greatly flustered and frustrated. He didn't understand what was going on. He wanted to hit something really badly, however he simply clenched his fist and reigned in his emotions.

_Calm down...I don't know what Lord 6th Hokage is thinking or trying to do. Maybe try to rile me up but whatever happens I can't lose my cool. This is Lord 6th Hokage we're talking about._

Izaya took a moment to observe Shinki and grinned amusedly as he stood up from his seat prompting Shinki to look up at him. Izaya just nodded in approval and said, "Well, not bad I suppose. Wait here until all the interviews are over. You'll be notified shortly of your status."

With that he disappeared from the room in a puff of smoke leaving an incredibly stunned Shinki.

"W-What was that? That was the interview?" Then it hit him. "So that's how it was...Lord 6th wasn't looking for anyone to give any correct answers to the test question. He was trying to pressure me. To see how I would react under frustration. To see if I would lose myself under stress. These interviews are more dangerous than they seem. Lord 6th is playing a psychological game with us."

Izaya currently sat in the large conference room that the Kage's would normally use for meetings. By now all of his Clones had dispersed and returned to him so he knew how all the interviews went. He closed his eyes for a moment and filtered through all the memories of the interviews before letting out a deep breath. He flipped through the documents before him and picked out the profile of 12 Shinobi who he deemed had the potential to become part of the Onmitsu 12. He turned to one of the staff members in the room with him and handed them the documents.

"Bring these 12 here before me. Dismiss the others."

The staff member nodded and immediately left to complete his task. In but a few minutes the door to the conference room opened revealing 12 young Shinobi. Izaya took a moment to take in the sight and thought to himself amusedly.

_It seems Konoha sure has a lot of outstanding Shinobi this time. To think that they'd make up the brunt of the Onmitsu 12...sigh...I sort of wish Hiroshi and Iraia didn't come as the missions they'll be forced to take on will be dangerous, but...they are Shinobi. Hanabi and I can't keep them sheltered forever._

The 12 young Shinobi who were in the room automatically knew that they had passed, however they were a bit surprised and not surprised at the same time when they saw one another.

Izaya cleared his throat and then began his address. "Ahem. Congratulations. You 12 have been chosen to form the very first ever Shinobi Union Onmitsu 12. From Konoha. Uchiha Sarada, Uzumaki Boruto, Mitsuki, Yagami Zen, Hyuga Hiroshi, Karasuma Iraia, and Yuki Asuka. From Iwagakure. Kaguya Kaito and Kaguya Koen. From Kirigakure. Karatachi Kagura and Hozuki Shingetsu. And finally from Sunagakure. Shinki. Now, just because you are chosen I hope you don't let it go to your head. You are now part of something larger than before. After your training the missions you all will take on will be potentially life threatening. You could die during any one of them. I hope you understand the heavy responsibility. To be chosen as part of the Onmitsu 12 is a great honor, but also a great burden. If any of you wish to leave your post then do so now. Once we begin you will officially have your names carved into the history of the Shinobi Union."

Izaya waited for several minutes, however it was completely silent as no one stepped forth to withdraw. He glanced at everyone's eyes and noted that none of them wavered. They were all filled with great resolve so he silently nodded in approval. He placed a document in front of him and gestured to it.

"Then all of you. Step forth and sign your name here."

They all nodded and did as they were told. After Izaya confirmed that everything was done he handed a staff member the document to be sealed away in a safe place. He stood up before them and asked, "Do any of you have any questions before we begin?"

Another moment of silence passed through the room as no one seemed to have anything to say. It was then Boruto broke the silence as he asked, "Begin what?"

Izaya simply smirked amusedly. "Your training of course. I have to assess what level you all are at."

Koen chimed in as he asked, "How?"

Once more Izaya just kept his amused grin on his face as he began walking out the door.

"Using the simplest method. The 12 of you are going to fight me..."

* * *

**MISC.**

**-To****goku Hoko (The imprisoned Treasure House):** A room deep beneath the Shinobi Union with powerful seals and barriers in place to store incredibly dangerous items.

**Onmitsu 12:**  
1\. Sarada Uchiha (Konoha)  
2\. Boruto Uzumaki (Konoha)  
3\. Mitsuki (Konoha)  
4\. Asuka Yuki (Konoha)  
5\. Hiroshi Hyuga (Konoha)  
6\. Iraia Karasuma (Konoha)  
7\. Zen Yagami (Konoha)  
8\. Shinki (Suna)  
9\. Kagura Karatachi (Kiri)  
10\. Shingetsu Hozuki (Kiri)  
11\. Koen Kaguya (Iwa)  
12\. Kaito Kaguya (Iwa)

**Shinobi Union Hidden Villages (11):**

Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves)

Sunagakure (Village Hidden in the Sand)

Iwagakure (Village Hidden in the Rocks)

Kirigakure (Village Hidden in the Mist)

Kumokagure (Village Hidden in the Clouds)

Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain)

Hoshigakure (Village Hidden Among Stars)

Ishigakure (Village Hidden in Stones)

Kusagakure (Village Hidden in the Grass)

Otogakure (Village Hidden by Sound)

Yumegakure (Village Hidden Among Dreams)


	19. Important Author's Note

**Author's Note: **

Hey everyone, I know its been awhile since the last update but worry not! I am NOT dropping the story. It's just that I've been really focused on my Bleach story. I've got a lot of ideas and stuff that have been popping into my head for the Bleach story and I've been writing them down. I don't want those ideas to disappear and go away and so that's where a lot of my attention has been.

As for THIS story. I have some future ideas outlined for it already. Also, the next chapter is actually already written. I just haven't uploaded it yet. I'm trying to write several chapters ahead first in case I write something in a future chapter and want to change something in a previous chapter so the story makes sense or to make it flow better. That is why I haven't uploaded in awhile.

Sorry to everyone who has been waiting, just...it'll be a bit longer before I upload the next chapter, just know that I'm working on it. It's written and I'm working on the other chapters ahead of it.

Thank you for everyone's continued patience and support.


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